AS and Their Partners

Patterns and their impact on an Aspergers individual.

What comes to mind when I say the word, Pattern?

A template and or instructions to make something? (i.e. A dress, wall hanging, basket, wooden cabinet, etc.)?
A design such as a plaid, or repeating motif?

I hope to broaden your concept of a "pattern" before the evening is over.

What about the shape of music? 
Or mathematical equations?
Or sequence of events?
Or a map of a city?
Or the sensations of eating a cookie?
Or the process of getting ready for school in the mornings?

Think of a pattern as a surface that curves such that it's shape snuggly fits the components that the pattern describes. Something like the formed plastic sheet that lines the boxes for some toys that have multiple pieces. The shapes depressed in the plastic describe the piece that fit into each spot. If a piece is missing or out of place it is very obvious.  But, remember the "piece" does not have to be a physical "thing", it could be a concept, or a feeling, or a taste, or an occurrence, a word..... essentially anything and everything.

As you see, I'm not talking about just visual patterns. Many of us with Aspergers “see” or maybe it's better said that we are aware of and detect patterns in just about everything. It is how we map out our world, it's how we know what to expect, allows us to feel safe, it makes this alien world not so alien, part of it becomes known.

(how many of you can walk through a dark house without bumping in to anything?  - I can, I'm just following the pattern in my head that describes my home, I don't need to physically see - unless something has been moved)

Patterns can be visual, or audible, or tactile (textures), odors, events, data, information. Why do you think most of us love sciences and math (or for some language)? Patterns. Science is all patterns. A scientist looks for a pattern that matches the data he collects. It's just called a hypotheses or theory.

Music is all patterns, language is patterns.

(It is thought Mozart could have been diagnosed with Aspergers if it was known in his time. He was known for composing his music completely in his head before writing it down. He “saw” the pattern the music made, once he had completed the pattern, it was a matter of transcribing it onto paper.)

Many of us on the Aspergers portion of the Autism Spectrum are what I refer to as Pattern Matchers.

We strive to complete the patterns, to remove the flaws. Fulfilling the pattern is lifegiving to us – it is a great source of pleasure. It's something we're very good at. And when the pattern fits and all the pieces are in their rightful places – it's an incredible “Ahhhhhhh” moment. A pattern that is complete and perfect is a thing of beauty and pleasure. The knowledge that you did it is the reward for doing it. An incomplete pattern is attention stealing. A pattern containing flaws is a thing of irritation and pain.

When there is a flaw either because an incorrect piece has been placed there, or it is discovered the pattern is incorrect for the data – it is painful. It hurts. It MUST be resolved to remove the flaw. It can not be ignored, the flaw will not allow itself to be ignored.

By the way, this same trait is what gives us the focus and drive to analyze and come up with conclusions, inventions and discoveries that are outside the normal way of thinking about things - - we're searching for the pattern that fits the data we see. Once we think we've found the right pattern we are obsessed with finding the missing pieces to complete it.