I am not telling about my talent for predicting human behavior to gain kudos. I decided to post about it because I believe I would not have been given this ability if I was not an Aspie living in a neurotypical world. That combination necessitated this practice. God deserves the credit. It’s an example of how He is able to care for those who depend on Him for all their needs if they live for His kingdom and glory.
Yesterday and today I received fresh reminders of this uncanny ability. I watched a stranger coming out of his car as he parked in my driveway. I opened the window and he asked me if my husband was home. Instantly I knew what the man was up to. I can’t explain why I knew. I just knew. At least this time, I opened my mouth and told my husband what I thought the man wanted before he even got to our door (No, he wasn’t a Jehovah Witness! They’re a no brainer to spot. Nor was it about work). Also yesterday, a reporter called hoping to get my husband to discuss what should be a private matter. I knew what that guy was going to write even though my husband kept quiet and sure enough he did. This morning, the television confirmed what I told my husband long ago when I heard about the movie An American Carol being released. I told him back then to expect the opposing political side to release their counter-strike about one week before November.
Not too many days ago, I saw the mailman approaching me. Instantly, I knew what he wanted. Again, there was no explanation for how I could possibly know. I never before realized how often I do this, because it is so automatic and I used to habitually ignore it. I can’t control the ability to know what people are up to. It’s something that happens to me. It’s not something I can make happen whenever I want.
Anyhow, this odd gift explains why my husband and daughter take what I say seriously. I’ve earned their respect. This skill does however ruin the joy of watching most things on television and in the movies, because so much of what gets said is too predictable for me to be entertained most of the time.
Being able to know what people are up to also is the cause of so much of my indecision. It is like receiving multiple signals at the same time, because most things involve more than one person. It is my theory that most of the ability to predict human behavior depends on pattern-recognition skills which occur intuitively.
The ability to predict human behavior was portrayed in Elizabeth Moon’s novel The Speed of Dark. The main character, Lou Arrendale, revealed his remarkable pattern-recognition skills in his fencing matches. Also in the story, he is a bioinformatics specialist who has a gift for pattern analysis and an ability to function well in both “normal” and “autistic” worlds.
Another example of exceptional pattern-recognition skills is seen in John Forbes Nash, Jr. I’m surprised he is not mentioned as much as other creative minds with Aspergers.
[Edit done 5 hours after posting this.] When I first published this, my gut feeling was to not allow comments, but I did it anyhow because I know some nice people who get frustrated when I disable them. That gut feeling ended up becoming confirmed (just like it usually does, and like usual, I ignored it). I also don’t feel comfortable when I say something positive about myself, especially when I’m supporting an Asperger-related trait. It’s funny that this particular trait happened to be about predicting human behavior. I KNEW the first comment I’d get would be from a disturbed ungodly person, but what I did not know was how much hatred there is that exists towards Aspies! I’ve been learning about this, but now I’m not sure I feel like continuing with that education.
P.S. — The blue text is what Olga Bagdashina included on pages 138 and 147 of her book Autism and the Edges of the Known World: Sensitivities, Language, and Constructed Reality.
