[halfcat]

>In a way I'm like everyone else.

When I was diagnosed with ADD as an adult, the doctor said, people with ADD are just like everyone else, only moreso.

A lot of what I feel, and the comments I see from those diagnosed on the autism spectrum, sounds like good old introversion. An introvert in a social setting is very much wearing a mask, trying to hold on long enough before all willpower is drained. I guess an extrovert probably feels the same about reading Large Scale C++ Software Design on a Saturday night.

[walterbell]

Across the spectrum of neurodiversity (incl. ADD & autism), a large gap exists in language for:

- common emotional experiences, good and bad

- coping patterns for profiling & impedance matching other humans

- dysfunctional behavior patterns that should be avoided

Sadly, because most of these behaviors have been observed from the viewpoint of medical pathology, many "dictionaries" have a negative slant.

E.g. ADD could be a "deficit" of attention, or it could be a "surplus" of attention, e.g. someone switches into a context for a few seconds, then switches out because they are already finished processing it. It's like the duty cycle of an electronic component, forcing the duration to be longer would lead to sensor overload.

Someone could be labelled introvert because they can only spend a short amount of time with other people. But perhaps they have low psychic barriers for the energy of other people and are being bombarded with emotions. Is that anti-social or super-social? What if there was standardized terminology for configuring emotional firewalls?

The language of disability is often defined by majorities. One ADD person with four non-ADD people may be viewed as "rude" for interrupting before sentences are complete, whereas one non-ADD person among four ADD people may be unable to keep up with five concurrent and tangential conversations where completed sentences are entirely optional.

[thirdtruck]

> The language of disability is often defined by majorities. One ADD person with four non-ADD people may be viewed as "rude" for interrupting before sentences are complete, whereas one non-ADD person among four ADD people may be unable to keep up with five concurrent and tangential conversations where completed sentences are entirely optional.

Thank you for making that comparison. I still struggle to hold back from finishing others' sentences, even though it seems like I finish them "correctly" more often than not.

I'm also reminded of how how middle eastern peace talks are complicated, in part, by the major differences in conversational styles. One side expects to be interrupted, while the other finds it incredibly rude.

[walterbell]

There's a great improv book that helps with inter-universe clock sync and emotional reactions to resync operations :) http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John...

[thirdtruck]

Seconded. I've been meaning to re-read my copy for ages.

[halfcat]

>E.g. ADD could be a "deficit" of attention, or it could be a "surplus" of attention

This is very true. Of the six types of ADD, one is "over focus". It is ironic that someone with attention deficit disorder can focus intensely on the same thing for 12 hours. I'm not an expert on the biology of it, but it seems like a problem caused by improper regulation of some chemicals in the brain, the same way improper regulation of insulin release can cause all kinds of problems.

[xorcist]

Why the false dichtomy? I consider myself a very social person, and I can still treasure a night at home with a cpu reference manual. I see no reason to value one over the other as they are not on the same thing.

The idea that introverts are somehow better programmers is a bit like seeing someone with glasses and expecting them to be bookworms. I understand it is a convenient social role up for grabs, but not everyone who think they are good programmers really are.

A lot of the hackers I know are very easy going and social people. We come in all shapes and sizes.

[halfcat]

Introvert-extrovert is a spectrum, not a false dichotomy. It is also a model, and certainly no one fits either archetype 100% accurately. There are people across the entire spectrum, and people who have both traits at different times. I only observed that many of the comments by those diagnosed with some form of autism seemed to be mostly on the introverted end of the spectrum, and sometimes to an extreme. It's anecdotal evidence at best, and perhaps means nothing. Just an observation.

Programming was just an illustrative example. Certainly there are programmers who are very social and extroverted. However, if you went into 1000 random night clubs on a Saturday night and polled every person, it's a safe bet that the percentage of people who would rather be at home engaged in software development would be much lower compared to a group of 100k introverts. The fact that you may not fit that description, or that you know some people who don't fit that description, is at best anecdotal evidence.

[xorcist]

Introvert-extrovert is a spectrum. The false dichotomy is that extroverts is not entertained by programming and/or other intellectual ventures.

It is simply a preconceived notion without any real evidence, much like the one that people wearing glasses is more intellectual than others.

There are good and bad programmers among both extroverts and introverts. I know a few introverts might wish things to be different, but there is simply no evidence at all for this. If you are to have an intellectual discussion about these things you have to let go of your preconceptions.

[wcummings]

Introversion doesn't mean you don't like parties or socializing.