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The Autism and Asexuality 'Spectrum' (Split from How Did "Asexuality Is a Spectrum" become Dominant?)


Gifted With Singleness

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everywhere and nowhere

I little technical impression, by the way. I'm not sure if splitting the topic was such a good idea. What is being discussed here? Asexual spectrum, of course. ;)

Really, I wanted to write something about this very topic and I don't want to "off-topic the thread whch has been saved from off-topic-ing". But I have no idea how to quote in one topic (the one from which this one has been split) something from another topic (this very one). In fact, @Not Pan Ficto. once told me how to do it, but I neither understood it exactly nor remembered it. Heck, I still don't know what is the icon "Share this post" used for...

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Gifted With Singleness

@Nowhere Girl I just clicked the "Share this post" icon, and it gave me a link to your comment.

 

Here it is shared:

 

 

(You should be able to put this link in other threads.)

 

If you want to quote part of a comment from another thread, you can use the "Quote" icon in the text editor

 

Quote

and just enter the quote in the text box that shows up.

That's about all I got. Hope that helps.

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2 hours ago, Nowhere Girl said:

. I'm not sure if splitting the topic was such a good idea. 

I'd just noticed that twice admods had said to keep it on topic, and sometimes if the same discussion continues (even though as far as I'm concerned it was relating back to the topic of the ace spectrum) they just end up locking the thread which is annoying. I'm not sure if it's just them interpreting the rules around going off topic a little too harshly or something, but I've seen it happening a lot and it's very frustrating when a productive and interesting convo is happening, for it to just be shut down like that! That was why I suggested it though, to try to save the discussion from getting locked!

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3 hours ago, Nowhere Girl said:

Not really, Kinsey was trying to place human sexualities on a spectrum of sexual orientations, from completely homosexual to completely heterosexual, with bisexuals with varying gender preferences in the middle. This is why what we now call asexuality was called "group X" in his studies - there could be a number for asexuality on a sexuality spectrum which goes from "without any desire for sex" to "considering sex a very important part of one's life", but not on a spectrum from "exclusive preference for same-gender partners" to "exclusive preference for different-gender partners".

Thanks for explaining.

 

It's all a little bit pretentious in my eyes :P Every time anyone explains aspects of that study I'm thinking "okay well all of that seems unnecessarily complicated" lol

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Anthracite_Impreza

I don't see the point of splitting this either, it was on topic. We were literally discussing whether the idea of an autism spectrum affected the idea of an asexuality spectrum... which was the topic! Now I can see both threads dying because no one knows which to post on or what.

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Gifted With Singleness

I guess you could say that, while this thread isn't exactly a different topic, it is on the "different topic spectrum".

 

(Sorry, am I being too meta?)

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1 hour ago, GiftedWithSingleness said:

(Sorry, am I being too meta?)

No, but definitely on the meta spectrum...

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Janus the Fox

Interpretations on thread action guidance yes.  Thule it is partly on topic, the question diverted quit a bit to cover Autism a bit too much.  The debate between ‘asexual spectrum’, autism spectrum’ and ‘spectrum’ itself needed splitting.  Pan is correct though, off topic threads can be locked based on guidances, so it’s up to me to choose an action.  I could of left it as is, though that wouldn’t stop complaints.

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everywhere and nowhere
13 hours ago, GiftedWithSingleness said:

If you want to quote part of a comment from another thread, you can use the "Quote" icon in the text editor

I know, but it would be an ordinary quote, not a personal quote.

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  • 5 months later...

hooo....This is a subject near and dear to me, and yet a big issue. Personally I hate it when people lump them together, or think they have a correlation. Im both autistic and asexual and I really do not believe they have anything to do with each other at all. There are plenty of autistic people that  arent asexual and visa versa but for some reason people will use autism as an excuse for asexuality or a diagnosis. autism is a neurological disorder found under diagnostic criteria such as communication issues and repetitive behaviors (broad), asexuality is a spectrum of sexual orientation only, Though I know there are others who are both. There are sensory issues that are applied to sex for me though so im sure it can be overlapped? This is just an opinion though so it may be different for someone else. 

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I’m autistic and I would say that asexuality is less of a spectrum than Autism. Sexuality has specifics, and there are specific names for things in between. However, autism is a broad term used generally in society, with maybe a name for higher functioning people on the spectrum but very little specific names for specific feelings and actions. 

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12 minutes ago, Isa20 said:

I’m autistic and I would say that asexuality is less of a spectrum than Autism. Sexuality has specifics, and there are specific names for things in between. However, autism is a broad term used generally in society, with maybe a name for higher functioning people on the spectrum but very little specific names for specific feelings and actions. 

I don't know much about autism at all, and am curious how it's a spectrum, but I think the asexuality spectrum really is broad and the only reason there's names for certain ones is because more people fell into some crevaces and then wanted to label how they are. Graysexuality is actually a very broad label that covers a lot, and there's so many flavors and quirks that someone can have when it comes to when and where they may feel sexual feelings or not, though in general feel it less than someone sexual.

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Anthracite_Impreza
3 minutes ago, Sarah-Sylvia said:

I don't know much about autism at all, and am curious how it's a spectrum

It's a spectrum because although we all have a certain amount of things in common (we have to, for diagnosis), how it plays out is massively varied. I am generally verbally fine whereas others are mute entirely, and while I am engaged in my "special interests" to levels that are considered "obsessive", others might not be. Some of us are uber senitive to many things, others seek out stimulation because they naturally have too little sensitivity. And all these things vary day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, for each and every one of us. It's the main reason I reject "functioning" levels entirely; some days I can appear almost NT, others I can barely even talk.

 

Asexuality however is just "don't want sex". There is no spectrum. It's the end point, and sexuality is the spectrum.

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14 minutes ago, Anthracite_Impreza said:

It's a spectrum because although we all have a certain amount of things in common (we have to, for diagnosis), how it plays out is massively varied. I am generally verbally fine whereas others are mute entirely, and while I am engaged in my "special interests" to levels that are considered "obsessive", others might not be. Some of us are uber senitive to many things, others seek out stimulation because they naturally have too little sensitivity. And all these things vary day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute, for each and every one of us. It's the main reason I reject "functioning" levels entirely; some days I can appear almost NT, others I can barely even talk.

 

Asexuality however is just "don't want sex". There is no spectrum. It's the end point, and sexuality is the spectrum.

Well I don't think here is the place to debate the term asexual spectrum, it's already pretty much picked up, though I know what you mean.

I thought more autistic people were sensitive and could get overwhelmed easily. I didn't know some seeked out stimulation (besides to distract from other stuff being too stimulating).  But that makes sense that there'd be a wide array, I guess it depends on what is even considered autistic, which honestly I'm not sure about, since I never looked at criteria.

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Anthracite_Impreza
15 minutes ago, Sarah-Sylvia said:

I thought more autistic people were sensitive and could get overwhelmed easily. I didn't know some seeked out stimulation (besides to distract from other stuff being too stimulating).  But that makes sense that there'd be a wide array, I guess it depends on what is even considered autistic, which honestly I'm not sure about, since I never looked at criteria.

The "Triad of Impairments" is typically: communication difficulties/differences, stereotyped and repetitive behaviour and interests and sensory issues. To be diagnosed (in the UK at least) you have to have all three to a degree that impair you in some way.

 

Many many of us seek out sensory input, that's what the stereotypical rocking and stimming are - seeking some sort of sensory stimulation. Doesn't have to be touch either, weight is a common one (many of us like to feel smothered in a way, weighted blankets are a thing), noises, tastes, smells, sights... Of course it has to be input we like, input we don't like can be downright awful to the point of meltdowns, especially if it's prolonged. It's actually painful at a certain level, which is why shouting at/belittling an autistic person for crying/getting upset/stressed at overstimulation is - frankly - abusive. If you were in pain you wouldn't want anyone shouting at you and telling you to "get over it"; it's only the same (general you).

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Thanks @Anthracite_Impreza. It's not bad to know at least about some of these things, especially that there are some online on sites I frequent. I have pretty limited ..anything.. with autistic persons, though I do know one who would frequent the game store. 

How it affects sexuality, that I'm not sure. Im sure there's a few topics like this one around.

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Anthracite_Impreza
2 minutes ago, Sarah-Sylvia said:

Thanks @Anthracite_Impreza. It's not bad to know at least about some of these things, especially that there are some online on sites I frequent. I have pretty limited ..anything.. with autistic persons, though I do know one who would frequent the game store. 

How it affects sexuality, that I'm not sure. Im sure there's a few topics like this one around.

You encounter a lot of us every time you visit AVEN, we're everywhere ;)

 

Probably hundreds just on this site.

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