When I took the autism test, I scored almost a perfect score in metacognition. Here is what that means:
Metacognition is essentially “thinking about thinking.” It’s the ability to be aware of and regulate your own thought processes. It involves understanding how you learn best, monitoring your understanding while learning, and adjusting your approach as needed.
Here’s a more detailed explanation:
1. Awareness of your own thinking:
Knowing your strengths and weaknesses: Understanding what you’re good at and what areas you need to work on.
Recognizing your learning preferences: Knowing how you best absorb and process information (e.g., visual, auditory, kinesthetic).
Monitoring your understanding: Being aware of when you understand something and when you’re starting to lose track.
2. Regulating your thinking:
Planning:
Developing a strategy for approaching a learning task, like breaking it down into smaller steps or deciding what resources to use.
Monitoring:
Checking your progress as you work, asking yourself if you’re on the right track, and noticing any difficulties.
Evaluating:
Assessing your performance after completing a task, identifying what went well and what could be improved, and using that information to inform future learning.
In simpler terms:
It’s like having a “coach” in your head that helps you learn effectively.
It’s not just about what you’re learning, but how you’re learning it.
It involves actively managing your learning process, rather than just passively receiving information.
Why is it important?
Improved learning: Metacognition helps you learn more effectively and efficiently.
Better problem-solving: It allows you to approach challenges with more awareness and adjust your strategies as needed.
Increased self-awareness: It helps you understand your own thinking patterns and how you learn best.
Lifelong learning: It’s a crucial skill for navigating the ever-changing world and continuing to learn throughout life.
This video will provide a brief explanation of metacognition:
For anyone interested in learning more about Autism. I have always been able to see patterns and been very observant. I seem to see connections others don’t and can often find them quickly. Here is why…
Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) possess a unique cognitive style that often includes a remarkable ability to recognize patterns and be observant of details. This is a widely recognized strength within the autistic community.
Why this ability is prominent in autism:
Increased Brain Activity: Research suggests that individuals with autism may have increased brain activity, particularly in areas associated with perception and pattern recognition, which could contribute to this enhanced ability.
Detail-Oriented Thinking: This cognitive style often involves a heightened focus on specifics and precision, allowing individuals to notice nuances that others might miss.
Enhanced Visual Perception: Some studies suggest autistic individuals may have enhanced visual perception, potentially enabling them to see details more clearly and even perceive things from a distance more effectively.
How this manifests:
Pattern Recognition: Excelling at identifying patterns in various forms, such as visual sequences or complex designs.
Attention to Detail: Noticing subtle cues, including textures, sounds, and other environmental features.
Enhanced Observational Skills: Being particularly observant of people’s faces, body language, and emotions, even if they struggle with social interaction.
Maybe this one will make you understand. In 1729 Jonathon Swift (Yes, that guy) wrote an essay called “A Modest Proposal” where he suggested that the Irish could solve their problem with the famine by selling the Irish children to the elite and they could eat them. Obviously this was a crude wake up call and not serious.
Consider if I wrote the same story today- Would I suggest we eat the immigrants when we run out of food because of tariffs? Would I suggest we sell them to the highest bidder (oh wait, that’s basically what the nazi is doing).
Get it now? What the dictator is doing is equivalent, no worse, than a suggestion made during another epic fail by humans. However, haven’t we evolved more by now than in the 18th century? Guess not all of us.
Being WOKE is being against eating Irish children in the 18th century to solve a famine.
My husband and I have made so many mistakes and so many great choices together. Just like any good relationship that is human, right? Since my Mom passed away, I have been very reflective and nostalgic. All the feels.
I am now 40-years-old and I have purchased and sold a house. Not uncommon at my age, however, for my generation it hasn’t been a very easy thing to accomplish. Numbers and Facts. I have worked VERY hard for everything I have. I was a bit spoiled as a child being either the youngest or only child at times. It’s complicated.
I definitely have trauma from my childhood, most people have at least 1 ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences). My score is about a 4 or 5 out of 9. Luckier than some, unluckier than many. I also grew up with a tremendous amount of privilege being white and I am not at all afraid to admit and acknowledge that.
I am so proud of who I am at 40. I have been a crappy human many times in my life especially when I was just a young and bright eyed young adult. I didn’t make time always for the people I should have and made stupid decisions like many of us. I self-medicated because I didn’t want to feel all the feels while dealing with everything my Mom went through. I wasn’t ready to unpack my trauma and process. I definitely wasn’t ready to acknowledge that I was living with a severe Mental “illness”. I hid it as best I could because I saw how my Mom was treated by so many- especially those that claimed to be family. Disgusting.
I also had no idea I was AuDHD and that term didn’t exist. That means I am both Autistic and I have AdHD. Terms and diagnoses serve a purpose but really I am just very very very Neurodivergent. That means my brain diverges from what is considered “normal”. DUH. It seems so obvious now. I had sensory issues I didn’t understand and did some “weird” behaviors. NO idea if they were noticed and ignored or just not noticed.
The most interesting thing is that family have told me that I was like a motor you couldn’t turn off. My Mom kept me VERY busy with sports and activities, so awesome job Mom. I played instruments and picked it up easily. I could play any sport I tried pretty much but was awesome at Basketball and Softball/Baseball. I did well in school- often testing at high school or college level in grade school apparently from what I was told by my Mom. I was always moving and had a hard time sitting still which is more common with boys with AdHD. Then there are the symptoms that are not noticed in girls usually. When people describe me as a child I sound like a boy with AdHD via stigma. What the?!?
The reason (one of) why Autism diagnoses have increased so much is because there used to be 2 separate categories. There was those with Asperger’s and those with ASD (Autism Spectrum “Disorder”). Asperger’s was used to describe those people that were highly intelligent but also struggled with social situations like those with ASD. Then after more research they discovered just how much of a spectrum ASD belongs on.
Now we just call any experience of Autism above a certain score on the very long test- ASD. So, combining said diagnoses practically doubled the prevalence. Also, because of research via Neuroscience and other sciences, we now understand ASD even better. We have learned that Women experience Autism a bit differently and internalize and mask due to stereotypes and stigma of how a girl “should” act.
Anyway, just wanted to share a bit about my Autism journey and some of the science behind ASD.
How have so many humans fallen so far from grace? The word grace means:
Simple elegance or refinement of movement
Courteous goodwill
Do honor or credit to (someone or something) by one’s presence
There are certain groups in the United States that claim to live and breathe these concepts and yet those same people are doing the EXACT opposite. For those of you who dig Jesus, he would be absolutely appalled by your actions. Jesus preached about love, acceptance, and charity. Jesus washed the feet of someone considered to be the lowest form of human you can be, and he did it with love, compassion, and grace. When the idiots still weren’t understanding his message, he went into the temples and turned over tables in anger. Yes, even Jesus got angry and upset and threw fits. Jesus was pissed because he was like my dudes did you not hear me? I want you to love everyone and not be a terrible religion like the Romans who are slaughtering the humans I love.
Personally, I believe the Bible is half history book and half guidebook full of metaphor. There is nothing Holy about it anymore than me claiming Lord of the Rings or Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is Holy. See, it is either all true or it’s all just stories. You can’t pick and choose which books have purpose and meaning and matter. Norse gods are real, Egyptian, African, and every other culture that is OLDER than yours. Why? Because you are just a little tiny human and it’s arrogant to claim you know for sure where every human is going. The concept of hell was stolen from a much more ancient belief system that belongs to Pagans. However, it wasn’t anything like what you claim. In fact, almost every single aspect of your belief is stolen from others.
You can’t claim to be a Christian if you choose not to be “Christ” like because that is literally the meaning of the word. If you support Trump, you are against Jesus and everything he taught you. That means you are ignorant about your own belief and that makes me so sad for you. If you would just pick up some books, you too could understand your own belief system and then maybe you can be a good human that Jesus would be proud of instead of shaking his head.
Also, Elaine… I don’t have grace, I don’t need grace, I don’t even say grace. I had to reference this otherwise I wouldn’t be me. 😆
I was getting ready for the day and this idea for a graphic came to me. What do you think? I might use this in a cultural awareness and disability training I am currently creating. This shows my journey over the last decade! I love the person I have become. THIS is what my Mom and my Grammy and people with disabilities and mental health struggle just like ME, taught me. We won’t ever be silenced again! Trump, we are coming for you, ***hole.
