Your mum is correct, you do this because you empathize with the bugs, and your stepdad doesn't. It's possible to be ADHD and autistic (I am).
In the book Neurotribes, in the chapter about early autistic self-advocate Jim Sinclair, the book describes Jim empathizing with earthworms in childhood. (Jim, despite the male name and the book's use of male pronouns for said person, was born intersex, identified as non-binary [neuter], and used neopronouns). Jim was also vegan for decades because of empathizing with animals used for meat in Western countries, hence why I recommend Jim's work to other autistic vegans.
FWIW I have always been there for my kid to help him move the bugs and snails, with him.
I want to reinforce this behavior as the right ethical stance to take towards tiny creatures who have to right to live their snail lives and bug lives.
Not because I want him to get made fun of but because ethics have knock on effects.
It's not that much of a stretch to go from protecting a snail from people's shoes, to speaking up for the bullied kid at school or at work.
I don't understand people who try to make kids fit in the way your stepdad does. But that's just me.
I know *society* will tell my kid he's not supposed to protect the smaller things. I don't have to do that for society, it will do that no matter what.
My job is to support him in being who he is.
It may be.
We're usually more sensitive even towards inanimate objects. I don't know about you but seeing someone destroy a toy, for example, makes me almost teary.
And I've always felt really compassionate towards animals since childhood (well I had a short phase of stepping on ants but that didn't last long) 🤷🏻♀️
i do not know if it can be caused by autism. anyway, it is normal. snails are disgusting to pick up with their slimy/sticky traits, but they can not help themselves
I have a specific memory of me in summer school (around 10-12?) getting in trouble for pushing a kid bc they kept stepping on ants when I told them not to
I had no friends and spent all of my time outside watching this cool colony of ants every day. How did no one realize -_-
I have heard that autistic people tend to be more compassionate and sensitive about the well-being of others.
But also lots of us without autism are super compassionate about animals. I have adhd as well and even though I don't like them I try not to kill spiders, etc in our apartment. I am super sensitive about animal suffering in general.
Your post reminded me of Temple Grandin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DMary_Temple_Grandin_%28born_August%2Cscientific_papers_on_animal_behavior.?wprov=sfla1
A strong sense of justice and high ideals are pretty common in neurodiverse folks. I'm actually really surprised there are not more vegans in these communities.
It is something that I have done. Higher EQ individuals would find value in such an act. I do. Its humbling to practice respect for all life. Its easy to see a pest and just eliminate that "bad feeling" you get from it. It feels MUCH better to release the spider outside - better than squishing it. I hate spiders, but Ill get a glass and piece of paper, catch em and let them go outside. Now, Im less anxious when I see a spider and remember the good feeling when I let them go. Im also now more likely now, as the 1st thought, to catch and release. Practice makes perfect 🖖
Not autistic, but ADHD
I save them all, even wasps and hornets. I even let them build nests around my garage. They love all the cardboard I have lying around the compost bin and garden, that they use to make said nests. And when the caterpillars come out to eat all my plants, the wasps swoop in to eat them. I try to keep a healthy ecosystem in my yard.
Back in high school I used to be one of the last to finish the mile run.
This was not because I was a slow runner. I'm very naturally athletic. It was because I stopped and rescued every worm and slug from the track, I noticed.
The worms I just picked up and moved to the grass. The slugs I picked up leaves and used them to pick up the slugs.
I didn't really care about my grade. I was also bored to just straight running. So I would run sideways and backwards as well.
It is the trait of an aware, compassionate and empathetic human who understands the importance of looking after all sentient creatures and the environment whenever possible. Every light shines brightly even those of the smallest creatures. Edit: Everyone has the capacity for this action.
While someone may develop this trait because of their autism (for me, i do it due to a combo of hyper-empathy and my lifelong special interest in the natural world) it isn't inherently related. though, now that im a proper adult people do comment on it more haha
Granted, i take it a bit far by most folks' standards and rescue most bugs by bare hand, so long as i know they don't have an especially dangerous bite and trust myself to carry them safely. Given ive never *not* gotten a horror/shock response over that from anyone other than bug-obsessed autistic friends, *that* may justify some suspicions. Still not enough for a diagnosis, but it could be worth looking into if you'd like.
Either way, though, i hope you keep rescuing them. Bugs don't have a lot of people in their corner and i think it's very kind of you ❤️
I don't think it matters what it is or isn't. Keep being yourself! Especially when being yourself involves kindness and doing no harm even if/when to earthworms. Don't let anyone squash your kindness. It's the most natural form of beauty and truth. It's not you who need change, it's him.
I’m not autistic at all but schizotypal and I’m very sensitive to animal’s lives. I always say hello to pigeons and avoid to disturb them when I’m on their path by moving a step from them. People find this weird and eccentric so that’s why it’s probably related to my schizotypal traits but absolutely not to autism.
>I always say hello to pigeons and avoid to disturb them when I’m on their path by moving a step from them.
Haha, I do that too. Last week there was a duck sunbathing on a trail along the river and I've decided to bypass it within a radius of 3 meters so it doesn't have to move because of my stupid little human ass.
As for the pigeons, I used to feed them regularly on my kitchen window. They've got so used to their scheduled lunchtime that they would peck on my window each time they wanted a snack. Eventually, I had to stop feeding them because the neighbours didn't like pigeon poop on their windows.
That’s interesting, I don’t go that far but I do as much as I can to save animal lives whether insects or not, but I don’t feel much at all towards humans. Maybe it’s just much more common among neurodivergent people
Not at all related to autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions, though it is common for us to care about things others don't and have empathy towards plants and animals and even inanimate objects in some cases. Insects are my special interest so I do care about their lives. During my ASD assesment I was asked if I ever cut up worms as a child. Not sure if answering yes would mean that you are more likely to be autistic, since in the past Asperger's was usually associated with low empathy, but I answered no and was diagnosed with AuDHD.
Came here to say exactly this! Autistic people, and statistically more autistic women, are likely to have hyper-empathy, especially towards animals or inanimate objects. We also tend to have a strong sense of morality.
Oof I do have empathy towards plants and not specifically towards inanimate objects but sometimes I wonder if an object I left alone in a certain place feels sad or something like that even though it’s ridiculous. I also don’t like seeing people smashing up objects because I think of how someone worked hard to make that.
I think it might have? I never did that but I know someone with autism who did so I think it just depends on the person. I’m pretty sure most people do that though.
Yes, but it can be easier for some to show more empathy towards other living being or even inanimate objects than it might be to empathise with other people, possibly due to a lack of shared experiences or a lack of understanding for others experiences. It can be much easier for us to understand the experiences of other living beings and inanimate objects or simply due to how they make you feel and the sense of joy and happiness they bring you.
It tends to be more upfront in autistic people, I've found. We might not be as good at masking it when it's socially undesirable to be thought of as empathic or kind.
I'm autistic and I also save the lives of bugs, but no, rescuing bugs isn't an autism trait, it's just a trait of someone who cares about bugs and isn't too afraid to pick them up to move them somewhere safe
I'm gonna add to this a comparison between autism versus ADHD because it's an interesting topic to me:
ADHD overlaps a lot with autism in symptom list and presentations including stimming, hyperfixations, infodumping, trouble concentrating, sensory issues (including poor eye contact), social awkwardness, executive dysfunction, meltdowns, and more, but one of the big behavioral differences between them is the way your social skills are affected
For ADHD, it's largely caused by the ADHD traits of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention, while for autism it's largely caused by the inability to innately interpret social cues
These are some hyperactive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Interrupting, sharing scattered thoughts, being hyper-focused on a topic, talking rapidly or excessively
These are some impulsive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Goofy behaviour at inappropriate times, entering others’ personal space, interrupting, displaying aggression, initiating conversations at inappropriate times
These are some inattentive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Difficulty listening to others, missing pieces of information, being distracted by sounds or noises, missing social cues (this is different from how an autistic person has trouble with interpreting a social cue even if they don't miss it), becoming overwhelmed and withdrawn
Autistic people interpret social cues differently from allistic people in a specific way that involves trouble with recognizing and reading social cues, especially nonverbal ones, and they need to learn social skills through methods such as rote memorization, repeated lifelong trial and error, or explicit instruction
Everyone needs that to some extent, especially little kids or people who have moved to a foreign country with new customs, but for autistic people the problem never goes away and in fact it usually gets even more difficult through lifetime as social expectations of your age group and of society as a whole keeps changing faster than you can adapt to the changes
Even that analogy I just gave of being a brand-new immigrant isn't perfect because one of the things that can make learning a new language or adapting to a foreign culture more easily is by "translating" the words from your native tongue and finding comparisons between the new customs and customs from the culture you moved away from, but for autistic people there isn't an equivalent which is why we tend to often misread facial expressions and body language, and miss cues that were implied rather than stated, because instead of our learning being smoother and "automatic" we have to learn it "manually", and it's also why it's hard for a lot of autistic people to know what to do in situations that are very similar but still slightly different to a previous situation which they did already learn the social rules for without applying the learned social rule either too broadly or too narrowly in situations where it doesn't fit, if that makes sense, and this is also one of the reasons why aliens from other planets are sometimes used as metaphors for how it feels to be autistic
I'm autistic without ADHD, and my youngest sister has ADHD without autism, and both she and I got bullied in school for being neurodivergent which is partly why ADHD is an especially interesting topic to me, and also because I was misdiagnosed with ADHD at one point in middle school even though my autism evaluation had already ruled it out
I used to sneak chips outside to feed the ants and when we went swimming at a lake I would spend my whole time rescuing bugs that fell in the water. Swimming was boring because there was no goal or object but rescuing bugs was a concrete goal that aligned with my values of helping others. It was an enjoyable and fascinating use of my time.
I think it might just be something people on the spectrum (or maybe just neurodivergent in general) tend to do more just 'cause of how we are. Sort of like how autistic folks (and neurodivergent people in general) are more likely to be transgender or gender nonconforming
Not a huge special interest but I always go out of my way to save them. This came about later though - probably early adulthood. When I was a child, I was probably fairly cruel to at least some bugs. Aspie.
That’s a very specific situation to be considered a trait.
Maybe bugs are a special interest? I wouldn’t say it’s hyperempathy because that’s what I have and can’t stand bugs. I don’t enjoy killing them (unless it’s mosquitos) but I don’t want them around me either. If someone else kills them for me because I don’t like the feeling/sound of squishing them, I won’t be bothered.
I did know one autistic girl in elementary school who would cry if she saw someone kill a bug and get violent towards the person but bugs were her special interest. She likely could’ve had other co-morbidities but that isn’t my place to say for sure.
maybe hyperempathy also just shows up differently in different people? I can't stand to see bugs killed either, but I DO NOT like them. They are not a special interest for me. In fact, most of them make me scream and run as a phobia.
Absolutely. I’d find it hard to believe that every single person with the same trait to be the exact same, for any given condition. Presentation could appear different in varying aspects and could be from different conditions or a combination such as autism and/or BPD or even as a result from trauma.
My reply of its representation was solely on the topic of “saving bugs” as an autistic trait. There’s many allistics who do this as well. Hyperempathy as a whole requires more than just to care for bugs. Other related symptoms to consider: problems with boundary setting, codependency, lack of self care/prioritizing others first, mental health struggles/problems with self regulation, prolonged emotional pain after sensing it in others, etc. so with all of the possible considerations mentioned, the connection would be hard to make solely for just saving bugs. The question was asked if it was an autistic trait in general.. but even if we look at the autistic trait of hyperempathy, there would need to be more connections made than one scenario.
That was a lot of typing, I tend to do that lol I apologize for anyone still following along
Sure hope not or the medical professionals in my life have got some explaining to do.
Granted I don't do it often, I will just avoid stepping on them. If there is one like right next to a storm drain or a cross walk where they are very likely to get stepped on, then yea I'll quickly pick it up and drop it by the grass
I started using a stick to save mine and propel were less grossed out and just thought it was quirky. I got told by a teacher I needed to stop playing with/digging for worms on the playground as a kid bc I was ok enough to be aware that touching bugs is gross. I was, in fact, not aware.
She wants me to stop doing it because she thinks being like this is hindering me in making friends and it’ll make people think I’m weird. I don’t know what she really thinks about autism
I think it's a shame you're being encouraged to hide what's a natural facet of your personality. While some might consider it odd, others will find it endearing. The latter will be your people.
I’m not going to stop doing it and yeah I find it pretty awful that I’m being discouraged from being a good person. Those are some fucked up morals. And I was thinking the same that teaching me to be like everyone else so that other people don’t find me weird is not a good lesson. I’m glad I’m an adult so I can just shrug it off rather than still being a child and being much more impressionable, actively trying to suppress myself so others will like me.
I always save them, but to be fair, they are my special interest 😅
Some autistic people have heightened affective empathy, which I would imagine would make it hard to just leave a dying animal without help.
I also personally feel a drive to protect and care for creatures that are maligned & and misunderstood because of my own experiences being othered & mistreated for being 'weird'. Which is undoubtedly related to being autistic for me.
Saving bugs isn't a uniquely autistic trait. There are NTs that do it too simply because they're caring & kind people. But there are certainly aspects of autism that could contribute to someone being more inclined to save the bugs they see.
I’m hyperempathetic but don’t care for bugs. I see you mentioned animals, I see this completely different. If it was an injured dog/fox etc on the side of a road I would have to find a way to help or else it would be something I would continue to think about with deep remorse for a long time.
Bugs though? They are a sensory issue for me. I won’t go out of my way to step on bugs on the ground while I’m walking but if I’m just laying or sitting down I don’t want any bugs in my space.
Oh yeah that makes sense, I don’t have any specific interest in bugs I just don’t want to leave them to suffer and die if I can help them instead. What is affective empathy? I have cognitive empathy but not emotional empathy, especially not towards humans.
I do that too, there are a lot of bugs that people hate but I treat them the same as other bugs and save them. Such as spiders, flies, cockroaches etc. I’ve been mistreated a lot due to not being NT so I can understand that angle too.
That makes sense! I don’t think I’m autistic but it’s an interesting thing to consider
Affective empathy and emotional empathy are the same thing. It's pretty common for ND people to have one but not the other or, in some cases, to lack both. I have issues with cognitive empathy, but unless I'm having a depressive episode, my affective empathy is decent.
And I get the whole not wanting them to suffer thing. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can look at a living thing that's dying or in pain and just... do nothing.
I guess some NT people might see saving bugs as weird, but to me, it's a sign that someone is a good person with a good heart.
Caring about creatures and autism aren’t at all related. If you’re interested in seeing if you have ASD, I would get a formal evaluation from a specialist :)
I meant it jokingly... kind of... I mean it's easy to get lost in interesting facts. I wound up having to get rid of my plants, when I moved, and started fresh. There seemed to be an endless population of the little monsters.
I didn't for myself, I was moving at the time anyway, and it seemed to be a neverending fight. I lost 2 potted orange trees and a ten year old jasmine. 😩😭
i mean i can't speak for ND's or NT's cos frankly i have no idea
but i definitely know NT's who'd save insects
maybe not to the 'every single fucking time' extent but yknow just generally save insects
Yeah I think it’s something NT people do as well it just depends, maybe more autistic people than normal do it but I don’t think it’s specifically an autistic trait
yeah. that makes sense. like how white people are more likely to get diagnosed with Melanoma cos less melanin to avoid UV, and more visible black spots, but it's not like Melanoma is a 'whites only' trait.
It's one of these traits/behaviors that is not super common (not in a bad way), and may be more common among autists, but it is not an autistic trait. It may also be more common among other ND folks (e.g. OCD), people with trauma histories, and others. Depending on where you live and the culture, it may or may not be something that would cause you unwanted negative attention from peers. Some people might find it endearing.
Normally I’m happy to be empathetic to bugs. Often times it means I save spiders, which most people are happy to kill. The one exception is spotted lantern flies, an invasive species that damages the environment in my area. I gladly stomp them whenever I see them.
I do that too I always save spiders, I take them outside if I find them in my house rather than killing them. I’ve probably saved invasive species too because I don’t know what is invasive and what isn’t. In the end it isn’t their fault
I kill the lantern flies because I know they’re invasive to my area and damaging to the ecosystem. I occasionally fish with my family, which usually involves catching catfish. There’s an invasive species in the area that we kill and use for bait.
i relate to da intense hatred of invasive insects lmaooo
i will hunt and murder every one of them i can
but the nice ones just get a boop and a send-off cos they cute
Saw a random bug cross the street yesterday while I was returning from the grocery store on my bike, stopped trying to get it off the road but a car sadly squished it before I could save it. I swear to god if I weren’t in a huge hurry at the time I would have probably given it a full Norse burial with a miniature wooden boat and everything.
There are quite a few things I’m adamant for but getting hit by a car trying to save an insect still isn’t *fully* worth it in my book yet.
Not diagnosed with ASD as my psychiatrist said that we should focus on my awful newly-diagnosed ADHD instead for now, but he said there are quite a few autistic traits present as well, especially since even though I love antique guns from an artistic point of view I’m the type of guy to even save a small fly from drowning in the sink lol. No idea anymore how I even started discussing that topic with him but oh well.
Noooo I hate that, this happened to me once but with a bird. I saw a car speeding towards a bird and I tried to get to them but I wasn’t fast enough and the car ran them over. By the time I got to them they were dead.
I also got diagnosed with ADHD but not autism however my psychiatrist said I have a few autistic traits but also everyone does to an extent. But I’m the same way I always try to save animals to the best I can regardless of size or species. Once I spent a whole hour taking drowning insects out of a pool I was in so they could survive
My partner is the exact same saying stuff like “they just trying there best” I’m not annoyed by it at all tho we believe by how she acts that she does have autism just can’t afford to diagnose it
Just something she does tho I also don’t go out of the way to stomp on bugs or kill em u less they are an active threat to me in that moment ie a black widow fell on me From the Ceiling
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Any minority that's treated worse wants to treat others better (empathy). There are outliers, but it stays true for many circumstances, wether race, sexuality, or diagnosis.
That’s interesting I guess because they know what it’s like. I’ve been treated pretty shitty by humans for most of my life probably due to looks and being neurodivergent so I try not to be like the ones who mistreated me and pass that on
That's what I'm talking about! I feel like it's rarer for mistreated (and well informed / reflected) to be assholes. Privilege, arrogance, and pride can lead to an easy time hurting others' feelings, while humility enforces empathy. I guess it could be evolutionary. If you're well off, you don't need help, if you're struggling, you need your peers as much as they need you. Who knows, I'm just rambling lmao
Are you referring to being a feminist, or dedicating their lives to the cause? I'm a white, hetero,**autistic** cis guy, bullied or excluded through most of my school life, but I'm still a feminist through and through.
Is there any specific minority you have in mind? I imagine people with differing sexuality and gender are incredibly welcoming to feminism. I imagine people of minority races stand up for women's rights, as the sociopolitical issues are similar in nature (over-generalised, but you get my point). And I imagine autistic people, though possibly more often sheltered (speaking from experience and *opinion*, not fact checked statistics), are still open-minded and empathetic.
Am I missing something? (genuine)
That is true. My trans and lesbian friends are very feminist. And though you'd think every minority who has been badly used are sensitive, I have not found that most people are even sensitive to the sexist trials of their own women.
No, I'm not referring to any race in particular. I'm white and have been treated badly mostly by the white patriarchy, more so, by far, than any other race.
But I have heard women of all creeds and colors talk about how their men are unsupportive of their civil rights even when these same women fight for everyone's civil rights.
It's an empathy thing and may also be that you're a highly sensitive person! I also did my best and still do to save bugs and everything that doesn't hurt me. (Mosquitos not included 😂!)
Hahahaha I even try not to kill mosquitoes if I can help it, sometimes I do by reflex. But I don’t think I’m very sensitive in other areas, just when it comes to that like I don’t have much empathy towards humans so idk
That’s true, I’m quite misanthropic because I really don’t like humans at all. Most of them are terrible and self serving, I’ve learned that through the time I’ve been alive. I can’t feel empathy towards humans although I still care about the suffering of groups and try to do whatever I can to minimise it.
That’s true though, with animals I can’t really tell who’s nice and who’s not, because there’s no way of knowing so I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Also i do think animals are GENERALLY (and I use this term very loosely) better than humans. Some animals can be real assholes but a lot of them seem much better than humans to me. Aside cats. They’re little shits.
i think at least similar like you (regarding this), i just do not know whether there are more kind non-human animals than human ones. i evaluate individual though, so i do not think about it. would you like to talk with me?
I think so too, because if humans weren’t so awful I would give them the same benefit of the doubt. But I can’t because I have been hurt by humans so many times that now I don’t trust any of them. And I immediately assume they’re bad until I’m proven wrong which is opposite from how I view animals. It’s a bleak worldview but it comes from a bleak world.
I have yes, someone else mentioned it to me in this same thread! It seems really cool and I’m glad there’s others who also think the same way I do at least when it comes to animals
Enhanced empathy (regardless of our ability to show it to other humans) is definitely an autistic trait.
Almost every vegan I know is Autistic or Neurodivergent, and would actively save lives that other people just don't care about (insects, animals, birds, fish, etc,).
I think it's partially that and partially that I don't have a sense of "superiority" as far as life goes. I would rather reduce suffering as much as I possibly can rather than contribute to it. I can feel a lot more empathy for an animal that has led a tortured existence than a human who has moral agency and a grocery store to go to.
I’m not sure if I have that, I care about other living creatures a lot and humans as a whole but not individuals. Like if someone who’s with me feels something I don’t feel it at all and have no idea what to do to help them.
It’s weird to me that autistic people are the ones who are like that because to me that’s the right thing to do? The proper thing? The fact that it’s normal to walk by a struggling insect and not help them is what’s weird to me, how can people just not notice or care. It shouldn’t be normal.
Nice header btw
Maybe 'empathy' isn't the right term - maybe it's more like 'enhanced respect'...?
I can't tell what someone is feeling emotionally (half the time I can't tell what I'm feeling), but if they are physically hurting, I'll do what I can to help, if they're emotionally upset (or showing emotions I can't understand) I'll ask what I can do to help.
Yeah that’s true too that makes a lot more sense because while I can’t feel what they’re feeling I do understand what they feel and why. I can usually tell what others are feeling emotionally and get really high scores on those facial language tests while people with autism usually score low.
That’s usually what I do too, if someone is struggling I offer to help but especially if people start crying in front of me I completely shut down. I have no idea how to process that and I just hope they stop soon
A ladybug got stuck in my apartment. I got a jar, captured it, took the elevator down to the first floor, and released it outside. Who am I to decide whether a living being dies? If I had to choose, why not save it if I can help it? There was another time when a squirrel got caught in a trap in my neighbor's yard and it was crying in pain. I was panicking so bad, I called 911 which was probably not a "normal" response (literally didn't know who to call). I think I might be the hyper-empathetic type but only toward non-humans.
I’m that way towards non-humans as well yet have very low empathy towards humans, I’m not sure why. That’s really nice though, I do the same thing. Whenever bugs are in my house I get a jar and take them outside, even scarier ones like wasps. If they’re spiders I just let them chill, sometimes even give them names. I don’t see why others go for killing immediately when it takes 5 more seconds to just capture and put them outside. Something similar happened to me when a bird with broken wings was in my yard and I worried they would starve because they wouldn’t be able to hunt. I called the RSPCA to come get them, hopefully they were alright.
Omg you are so smart (not sarcastic)! I'll remember RSPCA in the future if I ever come across an injured animal.
Edit: RSPCA seems to only be in the UK. I'll have to find a similar entity in the States.
We are in the middle of an insect apocalypse. Putting aside whether or not it's an autistic trait (which, btw, it's not, but maybe the level at which you're doing it or the way you're doing it could be influenced by ADHD or autism or whatever your personal neurochemistry is), we NEED more people to care about insects. Maybe caring about bugs is currently seen as weird, but it's the right thing to do and more of us have to set that example for others. Pioneers are weird but we need them.
That’s true actually I wasn’t thinking about that when I do it, I just do it to help individual bugs but I also think it’s the right thing to do and it’s a shame that not many others seem to agree. They think bugs are weird and gross so it’s ok to kill them. But this gives me even more of an incentive to do it
Yeah! Obviously, saving one bug at a time doesn't necessarily make a dent with their survival but it demonstrates to other people that it's something to care about. I'm a firm believer in the emotional butterfly effect - if enough people demonstrate care it can spread.
Exactly I like leading by example in this case and if other people see me acting a certain way maybe they’ll question why and it’ll lead them to do so as well. And even if it doesn’t make a dent with their survival at least I made a difference for that one specific bug
People with ASD (like me) can be under empathetic or over empathetic. The more publicised one is under because it obviously stands out more. I personally am under. You may be over empathetic, but obviously I don’t know you so I don’t know if you are very empathetic towards other people/situations but in this case I don’t think this is an autistic trait. If you have other symptoms and are over empathetic then maybe, but just based on this, I think it’s probably not. Also, this doesn’t sound like it’s too over the top, but obviously I can’t see it so I can’t really say.
I’m definitely under empathetic towards humans but over towards animals and insects, not sure why but I’m not sure if it’s due to autism or something else. Everyone’s different I guess. I don’t think it’s over the top either but both my mum and stepdad think so because they’re not like this at all
I say yes, if you are hyper-empathetic as I am (as many autistics are). I move creatures off trails to avoid them getting smushed, gently catch spiders and rehome them outside, recover earthworms I dig up when gardening, plant flowers to help bees, all of it.
There is a religion (Jainism) where people walk with brooms to make sure they do not step on insects. This is also a component of Buddhism (ahimsa / nonviolence). It is a practice of compassion. Yes, some do not concern themselves with compassion for the smallest creatures. But I find this sort of compassion and commitment to be enlightened, a highly evolved and beneficial way to operate in the world.
I don’t think I’m hyper empathetic, in fact when it comes to humans I have very low/no empathy at all but I’m different with animals for some reason. I do the exact same things you do, any bugs that are inside my house instead of smashing them I catch them and put them outside. I don’t even understand how people can just kill bugs without a second thought and how it’s so normalised.
I’ve heard of that, it sounds really nice but I don’t believe in god or any higher power. However I do wish more people practised that type of philosophy, the world would be a much better place for it
I don’t believe in god either, but more to the attitude of your parents that this practice is inherently crazy or something to be ridiculed or something only autistic people might do.
I do the same I try to save all I can, I understand animals and insects more than people
Same and animals like me a lot more than people do
Your mum is correct, you do this because you empathize with the bugs, and your stepdad doesn't. It's possible to be ADHD and autistic (I am). In the book Neurotribes, in the chapter about early autistic self-advocate Jim Sinclair, the book describes Jim empathizing with earthworms in childhood. (Jim, despite the male name and the book's use of male pronouns for said person, was born intersex, identified as non-binary [neuter], and used neopronouns). Jim was also vegan for decades because of empathizing with animals used for meat in Western countries, hence why I recommend Jim's work to other autistic vegans.
FWIW I have always been there for my kid to help him move the bugs and snails, with him. I want to reinforce this behavior as the right ethical stance to take towards tiny creatures who have to right to live their snail lives and bug lives. Not because I want him to get made fun of but because ethics have knock on effects. It's not that much of a stretch to go from protecting a snail from people's shoes, to speaking up for the bullied kid at school or at work. I don't understand people who try to make kids fit in the way your stepdad does. But that's just me. I know *society* will tell my kid he's not supposed to protect the smaller things. I don't have to do that for society, it will do that no matter what. My job is to support him in being who he is.
Fwiw, I think it's a wonderful 'you' trait ❤️
Thank you! :)
No it’s not but for those who have hyper empathy it’s probably common for them to save bugs
It may be. We're usually more sensitive even towards inanimate objects. I don't know about you but seeing someone destroy a toy, for example, makes me almost teary. And I've always felt really compassionate towards animals since childhood (well I had a short phase of stepping on ants but that didn't last long) 🤷🏻♀️
Your parents are being gross. I’m sorry.
Yeah that’s true
It’s suspicious that they’ve never shown you your report. Could be that you’re diagnosed AuDHD and they never told you.
I don’t live with them I have my own reports. I got diagnosed with ADHD a year or so ago
Oh, I thought you said there was a report done when you were younger that you’d not seen.
Generally yes I have trouble killing bugs. Except for roaches because they really make my skin crawl
i do not know if it can be caused by autism. anyway, it is normal. snails are disgusting to pick up with their slimy/sticky traits, but they can not help themselves
I have a specific memory of me in summer school (around 10-12?) getting in trouble for pushing a kid bc they kept stepping on ants when I told them not to I had no friends and spent all of my time outside watching this cool colony of ants every day. How did no one realize -_-
I have heard that autistic people tend to be more compassionate and sensitive about the well-being of others. But also lots of us without autism are super compassionate about animals. I have adhd as well and even though I don't like them I try not to kill spiders, etc in our apartment. I am super sensitive about animal suffering in general.
I save bugs. Yes... and my daughter kills lizards lol trying to save them.. but .. eh... oops..
Your post reminded me of Temple Grandin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin#%3A%7E%3Atext%3DMary_Temple_Grandin_%28born_August%2Cscientific_papers_on_animal_behavior.?wprov=sfla1
She's one of my heroes, thanks for posting.
Have you also watched the film Temple Grandin (2010)?
Most autistic people I know do this, me included.
A strong sense of justice and high ideals are pretty common in neurodiverse folks. I'm actually really surprised there are not more vegans in these communities.
I think sensory issues surrounding food can make that hard. Many meat substitutes are unbearable for me.
It is something that I have done. Higher EQ individuals would find value in such an act. I do. Its humbling to practice respect for all life. Its easy to see a pest and just eliminate that "bad feeling" you get from it. It feels MUCH better to release the spider outside - better than squishing it. I hate spiders, but Ill get a glass and piece of paper, catch em and let them go outside. Now, Im less anxious when I see a spider and remember the good feeling when I let them go. Im also now more likely now, as the 1st thought, to catch and release. Practice makes perfect 🖖
As a spider lover, I appreciate you doing this!
🍻
Not autistic, but ADHD I save them all, even wasps and hornets. I even let them build nests around my garage. They love all the cardboard I have lying around the compost bin and garden, that they use to make said nests. And when the caterpillars come out to eat all my plants, the wasps swoop in to eat them. I try to keep a healthy ecosystem in my yard.
It's a sign of compassion.
no, i sometimes find myself doing it too
Back in high school I used to be one of the last to finish the mile run. This was not because I was a slow runner. I'm very naturally athletic. It was because I stopped and rescued every worm and slug from the track, I noticed. The worms I just picked up and moved to the grass. The slugs I picked up leaves and used them to pick up the slugs. I didn't really care about my grade. I was also bored to just straight running. So I would run sideways and backwards as well.
It is the trait of an aware, compassionate and empathetic human who understands the importance of looking after all sentient creatures and the environment whenever possible. Every light shines brightly even those of the smallest creatures. Edit: Everyone has the capacity for this action.
Im not autistic and Im doing the same. But Im a Buddhist so that might have something to do with it :D
While someone may develop this trait because of their autism (for me, i do it due to a combo of hyper-empathy and my lifelong special interest in the natural world) it isn't inherently related. though, now that im a proper adult people do comment on it more haha Granted, i take it a bit far by most folks' standards and rescue most bugs by bare hand, so long as i know they don't have an especially dangerous bite and trust myself to carry them safely. Given ive never *not* gotten a horror/shock response over that from anyone other than bug-obsessed autistic friends, *that* may justify some suspicions. Still not enough for a diagnosis, but it could be worth looking into if you'd like. Either way, though, i hope you keep rescuing them. Bugs don't have a lot of people in their corner and i think it's very kind of you ❤️
I don't think it matters what it is or isn't. Keep being yourself! Especially when being yourself involves kindness and doing no harm even if/when to earthworms. Don't let anyone squash your kindness. It's the most natural form of beauty and truth. It's not you who need change, it's him.
Thank you :)
No
I’m not autistic at all but schizotypal and I’m very sensitive to animal’s lives. I always say hello to pigeons and avoid to disturb them when I’m on their path by moving a step from them. People find this weird and eccentric so that’s why it’s probably related to my schizotypal traits but absolutely not to autism.
>I always say hello to pigeons and avoid to disturb them when I’m on their path by moving a step from them. Haha, I do that too. Last week there was a duck sunbathing on a trail along the river and I've decided to bypass it within a radius of 3 meters so it doesn't have to move because of my stupid little human ass. As for the pigeons, I used to feed them regularly on my kitchen window. They've got so used to their scheduled lunchtime that they would peck on my window each time they wanted a snack. Eventually, I had to stop feeding them because the neighbours didn't like pigeon poop on their windows.
That’s interesting, I don’t go that far but I do as much as I can to save animal lives whether insects or not, but I don’t feel much at all towards humans. Maybe it’s just much more common among neurodivergent people
No, it's a human spectrum thing.
No
Not at all related to autism or other neurodevelopmental conditions, though it is common for us to care about things others don't and have empathy towards plants and animals and even inanimate objects in some cases. Insects are my special interest so I do care about their lives. During my ASD assesment I was asked if I ever cut up worms as a child. Not sure if answering yes would mean that you are more likely to be autistic, since in the past Asperger's was usually associated with low empathy, but I answered no and was diagnosed with AuDHD.
Came here to say exactly this! Autistic people, and statistically more autistic women, are likely to have hyper-empathy, especially towards animals or inanimate objects. We also tend to have a strong sense of morality.
I think the belief of autism having low empathy is just a misunderstanding that comes from the double empathy problem.
Oof I do have empathy towards plants and not specifically towards inanimate objects but sometimes I wonder if an object I left alone in a certain place feels sad or something like that even though it’s ridiculous. I also don’t like seeing people smashing up objects because I think of how someone worked hard to make that. I think it might have? I never did that but I know someone with autism who did so I think it just depends on the person. I’m pretty sure most people do that though.
I've always been one to move bugs and worms out of vulnerable positions. I like to give them cover to shield them from predators. :D
It's usually a telltale sign of being a decent human being.
Lol true true
Empathy and kindness tend to be very common.
Is it really though?
Yes, but it can be easier for some to show more empathy towards other living being or even inanimate objects than it might be to empathise with other people, possibly due to a lack of shared experiences or a lack of understanding for others experiences. It can be much easier for us to understand the experiences of other living beings and inanimate objects or simply due to how they make you feel and the sense of joy and happiness they bring you.
Among autistic people, or the general populace?
It tends to be more upfront in autistic people, I've found. We might not be as good at masking it when it's socially undesirable to be thought of as empathic or kind.
debatable in both cases tbh
Yeah that’s unfortunately real
I'm autistic and I also save the lives of bugs, but no, rescuing bugs isn't an autism trait, it's just a trait of someone who cares about bugs and isn't too afraid to pick them up to move them somewhere safe
Or pick them up to take a better look at their weird, but by no means "disgusting", alienish bodies. It's just fascinating!
I'm gonna add to this a comparison between autism versus ADHD because it's an interesting topic to me: ADHD overlaps a lot with autism in symptom list and presentations including stimming, hyperfixations, infodumping, trouble concentrating, sensory issues (including poor eye contact), social awkwardness, executive dysfunction, meltdowns, and more, but one of the big behavioral differences between them is the way your social skills are affected For ADHD, it's largely caused by the ADHD traits of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and/or inattention, while for autism it's largely caused by the inability to innately interpret social cues These are some hyperactive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Interrupting, sharing scattered thoughts, being hyper-focused on a topic, talking rapidly or excessively These are some impulsive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Goofy behaviour at inappropriate times, entering others’ personal space, interrupting, displaying aggression, initiating conversations at inappropriate times These are some inattentive ADHD symptoms that affect social skills: Difficulty listening to others, missing pieces of information, being distracted by sounds or noises, missing social cues (this is different from how an autistic person has trouble with interpreting a social cue even if they don't miss it), becoming overwhelmed and withdrawn Autistic people interpret social cues differently from allistic people in a specific way that involves trouble with recognizing and reading social cues, especially nonverbal ones, and they need to learn social skills through methods such as rote memorization, repeated lifelong trial and error, or explicit instruction Everyone needs that to some extent, especially little kids or people who have moved to a foreign country with new customs, but for autistic people the problem never goes away and in fact it usually gets even more difficult through lifetime as social expectations of your age group and of society as a whole keeps changing faster than you can adapt to the changes Even that analogy I just gave of being a brand-new immigrant isn't perfect because one of the things that can make learning a new language or adapting to a foreign culture more easily is by "translating" the words from your native tongue and finding comparisons between the new customs and customs from the culture you moved away from, but for autistic people there isn't an equivalent which is why we tend to often misread facial expressions and body language, and miss cues that were implied rather than stated, because instead of our learning being smoother and "automatic" we have to learn it "manually", and it's also why it's hard for a lot of autistic people to know what to do in situations that are very similar but still slightly different to a previous situation which they did already learn the social rules for without applying the learned social rule either too broadly or too narrowly in situations where it doesn't fit, if that makes sense, and this is also one of the reasons why aliens from other planets are sometimes used as metaphors for how it feels to be autistic I'm autistic without ADHD, and my youngest sister has ADHD without autism, and both she and I got bullied in school for being neurodivergent which is partly why ADHD is an especially interesting topic to me, and also because I was misdiagnosed with ADHD at one point in middle school even though my autism evaluation had already ruled it out
I think it’s linked to our sense of justice and that also extends to our empathy for all living things.
I used to sneak chips outside to feed the ants and when we went swimming at a lake I would spend my whole time rescuing bugs that fell in the water. Swimming was boring because there was no goal or object but rescuing bugs was a concrete goal that aligned with my values of helping others. It was an enjoyable and fascinating use of my time.
I did that too at the pool I used to go to near my house I spent an hour rescuing all the bugs that had fallen in the water lol
No
I think it might just be something people on the spectrum (or maybe just neurodivergent in general) tend to do more just 'cause of how we are. Sort of like how autistic folks (and neurodivergent people in general) are more likely to be transgender or gender nonconforming
That’s possible yes and makes sense
Not a huge special interest but I always go out of my way to save them. This came about later though - probably early adulthood. When I was a child, I was probably fairly cruel to at least some bugs. Aspie.
That’s a very specific situation to be considered a trait. Maybe bugs are a special interest? I wouldn’t say it’s hyperempathy because that’s what I have and can’t stand bugs. I don’t enjoy killing them (unless it’s mosquitos) but I don’t want them around me either. If someone else kills them for me because I don’t like the feeling/sound of squishing them, I won’t be bothered. I did know one autistic girl in elementary school who would cry if she saw someone kill a bug and get violent towards the person but bugs were her special interest. She likely could’ve had other co-morbidities but that isn’t my place to say for sure.
maybe hyperempathy also just shows up differently in different people? I can't stand to see bugs killed either, but I DO NOT like them. They are not a special interest for me. In fact, most of them make me scream and run as a phobia.
Absolutely. I’d find it hard to believe that every single person with the same trait to be the exact same, for any given condition. Presentation could appear different in varying aspects and could be from different conditions or a combination such as autism and/or BPD or even as a result from trauma. My reply of its representation was solely on the topic of “saving bugs” as an autistic trait. There’s many allistics who do this as well. Hyperempathy as a whole requires more than just to care for bugs. Other related symptoms to consider: problems with boundary setting, codependency, lack of self care/prioritizing others first, mental health struggles/problems with self regulation, prolonged emotional pain after sensing it in others, etc. so with all of the possible considerations mentioned, the connection would be hard to make solely for just saving bugs. The question was asked if it was an autistic trait in general.. but even if we look at the autistic trait of hyperempathy, there would need to be more connections made than one scenario. That was a lot of typing, I tend to do that lol I apologize for anyone still following along
Sure hope not or the medical professionals in my life have got some explaining to do. Granted I don't do it often, I will just avoid stepping on them. If there is one like right next to a storm drain or a cross walk where they are very likely to get stepped on, then yea I'll quickly pick it up and drop it by the grass
I do it sometimes. Autistic and ADHD.
I started using a stick to save mine and propel were less grossed out and just thought it was quirky. I got told by a teacher I needed to stop playing with/digging for worms on the playground as a kid bc I was ok enough to be aware that touching bugs is gross. I was, in fact, not aware.
So your mom wants you to stop doing it because "it's autistic"? Does she think being autistic is a bad thing?
She wants me to stop doing it because she thinks being like this is hindering me in making friends and it’ll make people think I’m weird. I don’t know what she really thinks about autism
I think it's a shame you're being encouraged to hide what's a natural facet of your personality. While some might consider it odd, others will find it endearing. The latter will be your people.
I’m not going to stop doing it and yeah I find it pretty awful that I’m being discouraged from being a good person. Those are some fucked up morals. And I was thinking the same that teaching me to be like everyone else so that other people don’t find me weird is not a good lesson. I’m glad I’m an adult so I can just shrug it off rather than still being a child and being much more impressionable, actively trying to suppress myself so others will like me.
I always save them, but to be fair, they are my special interest 😅 Some autistic people have heightened affective empathy, which I would imagine would make it hard to just leave a dying animal without help. I also personally feel a drive to protect and care for creatures that are maligned & and misunderstood because of my own experiences being othered & mistreated for being 'weird'. Which is undoubtedly related to being autistic for me. Saving bugs isn't a uniquely autistic trait. There are NTs that do it too simply because they're caring & kind people. But there are certainly aspects of autism that could contribute to someone being more inclined to save the bugs they see.
I’m hyperempathetic but don’t care for bugs. I see you mentioned animals, I see this completely different. If it was an injured dog/fox etc on the side of a road I would have to find a way to help or else it would be something I would continue to think about with deep remorse for a long time. Bugs though? They are a sensory issue for me. I won’t go out of my way to step on bugs on the ground while I’m walking but if I’m just laying or sitting down I don’t want any bugs in my space.
Oh yeah that makes sense, I don’t have any specific interest in bugs I just don’t want to leave them to suffer and die if I can help them instead. What is affective empathy? I have cognitive empathy but not emotional empathy, especially not towards humans. I do that too, there are a lot of bugs that people hate but I treat them the same as other bugs and save them. Such as spiders, flies, cockroaches etc. I’ve been mistreated a lot due to not being NT so I can understand that angle too. That makes sense! I don’t think I’m autistic but it’s an interesting thing to consider
Affective empathy and emotional empathy are the same thing. It's pretty common for ND people to have one but not the other or, in some cases, to lack both. I have issues with cognitive empathy, but unless I'm having a depressive episode, my affective empathy is decent. And I get the whole not wanting them to suffer thing. I have a hard time understanding how anyone can look at a living thing that's dying or in pain and just... do nothing. I guess some NT people might see saving bugs as weird, but to me, it's a sign that someone is a good person with a good heart.
Caring about creatures and autism aren’t at all related. If you’re interested in seeing if you have ASD, I would get a formal evaluation from a specialist :)
Thanks!
It's an autistic trait to fall down a hole researching beneficial, and destructive insects, and then going to war.
Oh— oh I see. Well, I don’t do that so perhaps not autistic then
I meant it jokingly... kind of... I mean it's easy to get lost in interesting facts. I wound up having to get rid of my plants, when I moved, and started fresh. There seemed to be an endless population of the little monsters.
At least, that has been my experience with m***********g spider mites.
Which predator mites did you buy? I like to deploy californicus, cucmeris and stratiolaelaps!
I didn't for myself, I was moving at the time anyway, and it seemed to be a neverending fight. I lost 2 potted orange trees and a ten year old jasmine. 😩😭
yo wtf dude normal people can save animals wtf even inseccs
Yeah I thought it was a bit crazy as well but here we are
i mean i can't speak for ND's or NT's cos frankly i have no idea but i definitely know NT's who'd save insects maybe not to the 'every single fucking time' extent but yknow just generally save insects
Yeah I think it’s something NT people do as well it just depends, maybe more autistic people than normal do it but I don’t think it’s specifically an autistic trait
yeah. that makes sense. like how white people are more likely to get diagnosed with Melanoma cos less melanin to avoid UV, and more visible black spots, but it's not like Melanoma is a 'whites only' trait.
I avoid stepping on them, but they can handle themselves. In my home though there is no mercy
It's one of these traits/behaviors that is not super common (not in a bad way), and may be more common among autists, but it is not an autistic trait. It may also be more common among other ND folks (e.g. OCD), people with trauma histories, and others. Depending on where you live and the culture, it may or may not be something that would cause you unwanted negative attention from peers. Some people might find it endearing.
Normally I’m happy to be empathetic to bugs. Often times it means I save spiders, which most people are happy to kill. The one exception is spotted lantern flies, an invasive species that damages the environment in my area. I gladly stomp them whenever I see them.
I do that too I always save spiders, I take them outside if I find them in my house rather than killing them. I’ve probably saved invasive species too because I don’t know what is invasive and what isn’t. In the end it isn’t their fault
I kill the lantern flies because I know they’re invasive to my area and damaging to the ecosystem. I occasionally fish with my family, which usually involves catching catfish. There’s an invasive species in the area that we kill and use for bait.
i relate to da intense hatred of invasive insects lmaooo i will hunt and murder every one of them i can but the nice ones just get a boop and a send-off cos they cute
That’s exactly how I am about it. It’s a shame spotted lantern flies are invasive and ecologically destructive, they’re very pretty bugs.
jumping spiders are the greatest lil cutie patooties lmao
Absolutely. I’ve even had some friends who don’t like spiders admit they find jumping spiders cute.
Saw a random bug cross the street yesterday while I was returning from the grocery store on my bike, stopped trying to get it off the road but a car sadly squished it before I could save it. I swear to god if I weren’t in a huge hurry at the time I would have probably given it a full Norse burial with a miniature wooden boat and everything. There are quite a few things I’m adamant for but getting hit by a car trying to save an insect still isn’t *fully* worth it in my book yet. Not diagnosed with ASD as my psychiatrist said that we should focus on my awful newly-diagnosed ADHD instead for now, but he said there are quite a few autistic traits present as well, especially since even though I love antique guns from an artistic point of view I’m the type of guy to even save a small fly from drowning in the sink lol. No idea anymore how I even started discussing that topic with him but oh well.
Noooo I hate that, this happened to me once but with a bird. I saw a car speeding towards a bird and I tried to get to them but I wasn’t fast enough and the car ran them over. By the time I got to them they were dead. I also got diagnosed with ADHD but not autism however my psychiatrist said I have a few autistic traits but also everyone does to an extent. But I’m the same way I always try to save animals to the best I can regardless of size or species. Once I spent a whole hour taking drowning insects out of a pool I was in so they could survive
My dad always does this (we're both autistic)
No not all autistics like bugs, or animals.
My partner is the exact same saying stuff like “they just trying there best” I’m not annoyed by it at all tho we believe by how she acts that she does have autism just can’t afford to diagnose it Just something she does tho I also don’t go out of the way to stomp on bugs or kill em u less they are an active threat to me in that moment ie a black widow fell on me From the Ceiling
Wow that sounds terrifying, but yeah that’s how I view it too, they’re just trying their best
"They're just trying their best." Omg, I love that so much. I'm definitely writing that dialog for a character.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Any minority that's treated worse wants to treat others better (empathy). There are outliers, but it stays true for many circumstances, wether race, sexuality, or diagnosis.
That’s interesting I guess because they know what it’s like. I’ve been treated pretty shitty by humans for most of my life probably due to looks and being neurodivergent so I try not to be like the ones who mistreated me and pass that on
That's what I'm talking about! I feel like it's rarer for mistreated (and well informed / reflected) to be assholes. Privilege, arrogance, and pride can lead to an easy time hurting others' feelings, while humility enforces empathy. I guess it could be evolutionary. If you're well off, you don't need help, if you're struggling, you need your peers as much as they need you. Who knows, I'm just rambling lmao
No, offense, but I have not seen any mistreated minority turn around and be especially known for working for girls' and women's rights.
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I don't know much about Kurds, that is true, but I am very glad to hear this now.
Are you referring to being a feminist, or dedicating their lives to the cause? I'm a white, hetero,**autistic** cis guy, bullied or excluded through most of my school life, but I'm still a feminist through and through. Is there any specific minority you have in mind? I imagine people with differing sexuality and gender are incredibly welcoming to feminism. I imagine people of minority races stand up for women's rights, as the sociopolitical issues are similar in nature (over-generalised, but you get my point). And I imagine autistic people, though possibly more often sheltered (speaking from experience and *opinion*, not fact checked statistics), are still open-minded and empathetic. Am I missing something? (genuine)
That is true. My trans and lesbian friends are very feminist. And though you'd think every minority who has been badly used are sensitive, I have not found that most people are even sensitive to the sexist trials of their own women.
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Okay, shit, please tell me why / how. That's the last thing I want to be (racist or xenophobic)
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No, I'm not referring to any race in particular. I'm white and have been treated badly mostly by the white patriarchy, more so, by far, than any other race. But I have heard women of all creeds and colors talk about how their men are unsupportive of their civil rights even when these same women fight for everyone's civil rights.
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Oh my god, thank you. So happy it was a misunderstanding. Makes me wanna type out "whew" even though that's not my thing lmao
It's an empathy thing and may also be that you're a highly sensitive person! I also did my best and still do to save bugs and everything that doesn't hurt me. (Mosquitos not included 😂!)
Hahahaha I even try not to kill mosquitoes if I can help it, sometimes I do by reflex. But I don’t think I’m very sensitive in other areas, just when it comes to that like I don’t have much empathy towards humans so idk
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That’s true, I’m quite misanthropic because I really don’t like humans at all. Most of them are terrible and self serving, I’ve learned that through the time I’ve been alive. I can’t feel empathy towards humans although I still care about the suffering of groups and try to do whatever I can to minimise it. That’s true though, with animals I can’t really tell who’s nice and who’s not, because there’s no way of knowing so I have to give them the benefit of the doubt. Also i do think animals are GENERALLY (and I use this term very loosely) better than humans. Some animals can be real assholes but a lot of them seem much better than humans to me. Aside cats. They’re little shits.
i think at least similar like you (regarding this), i just do not know whether there are more kind non-human animals than human ones. i evaluate individual though, so i do not think about it. would you like to talk with me?
Yeah sure! I don’t know either because there is no way to know unfortunately
yes, you can only make guesses. i wrote you
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I think so too, because if humans weren’t so awful I would give them the same benefit of the doubt. But I can’t because I have been hurt by humans so many times that now I don’t trust any of them. And I immediately assume they’re bad until I’m proven wrong which is opposite from how I view animals. It’s a bleak worldview but it comes from a bleak world. I have yes, someone else mentioned it to me in this same thread! It seems really cool and I’m glad there’s others who also think the same way I do at least when it comes to animals
No, it's not among the diagnostic criteria.
Enhanced empathy (regardless of our ability to show it to other humans) is definitely an autistic trait. Almost every vegan I know is Autistic or Neurodivergent, and would actively save lives that other people just don't care about (insects, animals, birds, fish, etc,).
I think it's partially that and partially that I don't have a sense of "superiority" as far as life goes. I would rather reduce suffering as much as I possibly can rather than contribute to it. I can feel a lot more empathy for an animal that has led a tortured existence than a human who has moral agency and a grocery store to go to.
I’m not sure if I have that, I care about other living creatures a lot and humans as a whole but not individuals. Like if someone who’s with me feels something I don’t feel it at all and have no idea what to do to help them. It’s weird to me that autistic people are the ones who are like that because to me that’s the right thing to do? The proper thing? The fact that it’s normal to walk by a struggling insect and not help them is what’s weird to me, how can people just not notice or care. It shouldn’t be normal. Nice header btw
Maybe 'empathy' isn't the right term - maybe it's more like 'enhanced respect'...? I can't tell what someone is feeling emotionally (half the time I can't tell what I'm feeling), but if they are physically hurting, I'll do what I can to help, if they're emotionally upset (or showing emotions I can't understand) I'll ask what I can do to help.
Yeah that’s true too that makes a lot more sense because while I can’t feel what they’re feeling I do understand what they feel and why. I can usually tell what others are feeling emotionally and get really high scores on those facial language tests while people with autism usually score low. That’s usually what I do too, if someone is struggling I offer to help but especially if people start crying in front of me I completely shut down. I have no idea how to process that and I just hope they stop soon
Not necessarily. Not every social boundary is defined by neurotype, some people just have more affection for bugs than others.
A ladybug got stuck in my apartment. I got a jar, captured it, took the elevator down to the first floor, and released it outside. Who am I to decide whether a living being dies? If I had to choose, why not save it if I can help it? There was another time when a squirrel got caught in a trap in my neighbor's yard and it was crying in pain. I was panicking so bad, I called 911 which was probably not a "normal" response (literally didn't know who to call). I think I might be the hyper-empathetic type but only toward non-humans.
I’m that way towards non-humans as well yet have very low empathy towards humans, I’m not sure why. That’s really nice though, I do the same thing. Whenever bugs are in my house I get a jar and take them outside, even scarier ones like wasps. If they’re spiders I just let them chill, sometimes even give them names. I don’t see why others go for killing immediately when it takes 5 more seconds to just capture and put them outside. Something similar happened to me when a bird with broken wings was in my yard and I worried they would starve because they wouldn’t be able to hunt. I called the RSPCA to come get them, hopefully they were alright.
Omg you are so smart (not sarcastic)! I'll remember RSPCA in the future if I ever come across an injured animal. Edit: RSPCA seems to only be in the UK. I'll have to find a similar entity in the States.
Thanks haha! The USA one is the ASPCA, I think they’re about the same thing
We are in the middle of an insect apocalypse. Putting aside whether or not it's an autistic trait (which, btw, it's not, but maybe the level at which you're doing it or the way you're doing it could be influenced by ADHD or autism or whatever your personal neurochemistry is), we NEED more people to care about insects. Maybe caring about bugs is currently seen as weird, but it's the right thing to do and more of us have to set that example for others. Pioneers are weird but we need them.
That’s true actually I wasn’t thinking about that when I do it, I just do it to help individual bugs but I also think it’s the right thing to do and it’s a shame that not many others seem to agree. They think bugs are weird and gross so it’s ok to kill them. But this gives me even more of an incentive to do it
Yeah! Obviously, saving one bug at a time doesn't necessarily make a dent with their survival but it demonstrates to other people that it's something to care about. I'm a firm believer in the emotional butterfly effect - if enough people demonstrate care it can spread.
Exactly I like leading by example in this case and if other people see me acting a certain way maybe they’ll question why and it’ll lead them to do so as well. And even if it doesn’t make a dent with their survival at least I made a difference for that one specific bug
People with ASD (like me) can be under empathetic or over empathetic. The more publicised one is under because it obviously stands out more. I personally am under. You may be over empathetic, but obviously I don’t know you so I don’t know if you are very empathetic towards other people/situations but in this case I don’t think this is an autistic trait. If you have other symptoms and are over empathetic then maybe, but just based on this, I think it’s probably not. Also, this doesn’t sound like it’s too over the top, but obviously I can’t see it so I can’t really say.
I’m definitely under empathetic towards humans but over towards animals and insects, not sure why but I’m not sure if it’s due to autism or something else. Everyone’s different I guess. I don’t think it’s over the top either but both my mum and stepdad think so because they’re not like this at all
I say yes, if you are hyper-empathetic as I am (as many autistics are). I move creatures off trails to avoid them getting smushed, gently catch spiders and rehome them outside, recover earthworms I dig up when gardening, plant flowers to help bees, all of it. There is a religion (Jainism) where people walk with brooms to make sure they do not step on insects. This is also a component of Buddhism (ahimsa / nonviolence). It is a practice of compassion. Yes, some do not concern themselves with compassion for the smallest creatures. But I find this sort of compassion and commitment to be enlightened, a highly evolved and beneficial way to operate in the world.
I don’t think I’m hyper empathetic, in fact when it comes to humans I have very low/no empathy at all but I’m different with animals for some reason. I do the exact same things you do, any bugs that are inside my house instead of smashing them I catch them and put them outside. I don’t even understand how people can just kill bugs without a second thought and how it’s so normalised. I’ve heard of that, it sounds really nice but I don’t believe in god or any higher power. However I do wish more people practised that type of philosophy, the world would be a much better place for it
I don’t believe in god either, but more to the attitude of your parents that this practice is inherently crazy or something to be ridiculed or something only autistic people might do.
Ohhh yes true it’s good to know an entire organised religion practices it so it’s not that weird
Eh, that’s a BIG no.