tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post7792514571426421456..comments2023-09-21T08:29:51.381-07:00Comments on Luna Corbden: Splines Theory: A Spoons Metaphor for AutismLuna Corbdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-89157368139775926402022-06-28T09:06:01.412-07:002022-06-28T09:06:01.412-07:00Hey, this approach is very closely related to mono...Hey, this approach is very closely related to monotropism; I think you've independently hit on many of the same basic insights. As such I've added a link here to the Explanations page of the new monotropism.org site: https://monotropism.org/explanations/Oolonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127872308267217497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-68553894489440059692022-02-20T22:27:57.912-08:002022-02-20T22:27:57.912-08:00"ND minds... It's in the brain.""ND minds... It's in the brain."<br /><br />Scarlet Starshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00726082637747728416noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-54430622604497591832021-08-15T14:17:22.312-07:002021-08-15T14:17:22.312-07:00I’m so grateful I came across this blog. It was wr...I’m so grateful I came across this blog. It was written a long time ago so it looks like it’s the gift that keeps on giving. It’s such important insight. Thank you. JMTJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17507668125569099753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-42173734404803446962021-03-13T16:28:39.764-08:002021-03-13T16:28:39.764-08:00This explains my brain!!! I haven't read all t...This explains my brain!!! I haven't read all the comments yet, I'll get to that, I just wanted to let you know there's another aspie who found your explanation these many years later and is currently sitting, open-mouthed, typing these words to thank you for such a clear explanation of what has been my lifelong experience. Medication has actually helped some of those splines reticulate a little faster, it's an amazing metaphor.Saunatinahttps://twitter.com/seattle_sancheznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-40358713942515755442019-10-25T08:44:52.890-07:002019-10-25T08:44:52.890-07:00This is wonderful! Thank you so much. I recognize ...This is wonderful! Thank you so much. I recognize myself and several friends, fellow engineering alumni and family members.<br /><br />This also reminds me (sort of) of the work on learning styles by professor Richard Felder & Co. His articles were pivotal for the beginning of my Accepting My Brain As It Is journey in the late 1990s. If you are interested, here is the short summary for students that changed my life: https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/drive/1WPAfj3j5o5OuJMiHorJ-lv6fON1C8kCN/styles.pdf<br />and here is a talk about how Felder et al. arrived at that summary (and much, much more -- they have been studying how engineering students learn since the 1980s and are still going strong) https://www.engr.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/drive/1vRjpenyeO5BbV6VLWBx4ebL8u2C_wUry/1998-ASEE-LS.pdf<br /><br />More personally:<br /><br />My son, who is an artist and writer, has described his train of creative or learning thought as an actual freight train -- long and heavy and therefore quite energy consuming to get going. It also has immense momentum re: direction and speed once underway, so is also quite energy consuming to turn or stop. That description was a revelation for me, both in understanding him and in understanding myself.<br /><br />I have sometimes spoken of my own thinking work as a heavy flywheel with considerable inertia, or as machine set-up time between different products in batch manucacturing. <br /><br />The analogy I have used most, however, is comparing a supercomputer that has 1-4 processors (my stereotype for an NT engineer's brain) to a grid computer made up of hundreds of Raspberry Pis (my brain). The way things were taught in my engineering college (the "program code") seemed to be optimized for people who could work through a series of well-enough-defined partial tasks at high speed without much bothering about the whole that those partials pertained to -- that would become clear for them when revising for the exam. <br /><br />I again cannot begin to learn / create / analyze anything without a properly internalized cognitive scaffolding*. This scaffolding I aliken to making sure that 75-95% of the Raspberry Pis representing my brain are fully loaded with relevant context and prerequisites information, after which the remaining 5-25% can very quickly and efficiently run the code = do the analysis of a large set of problems and suggest multiple solutions, especially if the problems are connected, as real-life usability and accessibility problems tend to be.<br /><br />I have emailed the link to this post to my NT-ish, introverted engineer husband and my two on-the-AS-spectrum adult children. I will also share it with some friends. Thank you again for this resource!<br /><br />* used here loosely as a pedagogical(ish) term, with apologies to the late Lev Vygotsky<br />Ronja A-Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12430731962825316260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-88092580186127475062019-10-20T11:27:15.422-07:002019-10-20T11:27:15.422-07:00Beautifully written. I struggle so hard to underst...Beautifully written. I struggle so hard to understand (much less explain) why a 3 minute phone call doesn't cost me three minutes or why I have such long unproductive periods. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-36591830202436957272018-12-10T13:41:17.888-08:002018-12-10T13:41:17.888-08:00Realize that all scientific progress comes from pe...Realize that all scientific progress comes from people in the spectrum and without us the flatscans would still be living in caves<br /><br />Autism sacrifices versatility for power which leads to our marginalized status <br /><br />But hey we are on the rise, so maybe things will changeAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15953859273106420136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-57976145750310485742018-05-28T06:22:33.669-07:002018-05-28T06:22:33.669-07:00I just found this. Nothing I've read so far e...I just found this. Nothing I've read so far explains me more than this. So thankful you "youngsters" have such great insight into our brains. Thank you.LizzieK8https://www.blogger.com/profile/17418678210403829598noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-9500586732559925042018-01-30T13:19:30.715-08:002018-01-30T13:19:30.715-08:00Bogdashina cites research, as well as offering quo...Bogdashina cites research, as well as offering quotes from autists who experience this to one degree or another. And I've experienced it to a lesser degree, on days when my senses get confused and I struggle to understand what I'm seeing & hearing, especially if there is motion and I am tired or overstimulated. All I can see are the shapes of the light, but not understand where or what they are, at least for several seconds.<br /><br />Are you on the spectrum?<br /><br />Perhaps the confusion is in how I phrased it.. I didn't mean to imply ALL autists on the severe end of the spectrum have this specific sensory issue, but that many do, and this is documented.Luna Corbdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-32738223119292412822018-01-30T13:10:36.050-08:002018-01-30T13:10:36.050-08:00Thanks!
haha yeah, music can take splines/spoons ...Thanks!<br /><br />haha yeah, music can take splines/spoons from me, too, especially high tempo music or anything with lyrics. Anything that demands my attention drains me when I'm low.Luna Corbdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-52289522669683748382018-01-30T08:07:40.446-08:002018-01-30T08:07:40.446-08:00I RELATE TO THIS SO WELL!!! Thank you so much for ...I RELATE TO THIS SO WELL!!! Thank you so much for putting this into words!! It is definitely different than just spoons and definitely a very autistic experience. I was always curious as to why it was so difficult for me to switch tasks or recover from being interrupted. I love you mentioning even recreational activities taking splines (my friends never understand when I say I don’t have the energy to listen to music). And my routine is structured the same way for the same reasons!! Getting phone messages and notifications out of the way, email, taking care of the pets, and THEN the real work!! The metaphor of the game loading is so amazing. Thank you again for doing this!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07270123563901726974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-80925235059317171612018-01-29T18:04:52.260-08:002018-01-29T18:04:52.260-08:00"According to Bogdashina, autists on the seve..."According to Bogdashina, autists on the severe end of the spectrum cannot sense objects as part of a whole. A face breaks up into "mouth", "nose", "eye", "eye". A person then is "hand", "arm", "ear", "face", "hair". A room is instead a "wall", "wall", "table leg", "table top", "plate", "chair", "floor". Sounds and other senses take on the same fragmentation, and it's difficult for the autist to lump them all together into "mother" or "dining room"."<br /><br />Really doubt that, personally. Many autistic people have a Block Design peak, especially if they've got verbal communication problems, and the Block Design test requires perceiving things as a coherent whole and then segmenting them according to equal-sized blocks regardless of the color contours ofor the pattern. People with Williams Syndrome, who do have problems like this (as evidenced by their tendency to draw exploded drawings), have a great deal of difficulty with the Block Design task.Ettinahttp://abnormaldiversity.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-27972787862445393012017-10-22T00:58:42.583-07:002017-10-22T00:58:42.583-07:00My husband actually breaks his spoons into spoons ...My husband actually breaks his spoons into spoons and forks. Spoons are mental energy and forks are physical energy. This actually explains my issues as well. I've never been diagnosed with autism, but it is something that my doctor and my husband have speculated at. This helped so much.Tiago Castellanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-22695962959414843532017-10-10T15:17:52.012-07:002017-10-10T15:17:52.012-07:00Wow just wow! This article just put together assum...Wow just wow! This article just put together assumptions I had about my work habit and productivity. Amazing work!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-40377042500997230452017-09-05T04:03:28.342-07:002017-09-05T04:03:28.342-07:00I can really relate to this article, except I'...I can really relate to this article, except I'm not convinced I actually have the underlying condition. I experience a lot of dread of tasks that interrupt my flow, but when I actually overcome the resistance and actually do the thing that interrupts my flow, it never ends up being nearly as unpleasant as I imagine. It's more like, my deficiency is in the ability to make the decision to switch tasks, rather than the ability to actually switch tasks. Does that make any sense to anyone? For example: I have Parkinson's, and one big challenge I have is remembering to take my medications. So, I have an app on my phone to remind me to take them. But then I have to remember to activate the app. And then I have to remember that the alarm is important. When I DO remember that it is important to take my meds when the alarm goes off, it's no big deal and I really don't feel like I've lost any spoons or whatever. The challenge for me is keeping it on the radar. It feels more like a discipline issue. Which may be another aspect of this thing. I do remember times where I became angry when being interrupted, in fact almost exactly like the author describes in this piece. But what I decided for myself was the problem, was my emotional reaction to the interruption, and not the interruption itself. If I just calm down and approach it with a more accepting attitude, it seems like I recover much more quickly and am able to recall the "reticulated splines" without having to really start over. Tom Hansenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02757614989257569793noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-67670664138150914622017-09-02T13:57:47.346-07:002017-09-02T13:57:47.346-07:00I read this post with interest. I started with rea...I read this post with interest. I started with reading the linked post on Spoon Theory, which I'd not heard of. Wonderful. Then, continued with the rest of your story. I'm in awe of your ability to find an analogy that helps NTs like me "get" how others operate. <br />We humans tend to think our way of being/thinking is the only way. Not even because we're jerks--though some of us are, and most of us can be--but because we don't know what we don't know. You're post helps illuminate a hidden room in the human experience. A room I can now appreciate better because I understand its value and purpose more. <br />I'm sorry for the times when life is hard for you, but grateful that you have the words to help others both empathize with you and support the journey forward. Angela Noelhttp://angelanoelauthor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-47637227400539276502017-08-31T23:53:56.688-07:002017-08-31T23:53:56.688-07:00Makes sense to me (though it took some spoons to e...Makes sense to me (though it took some spoons to engage with the concept...)<br />I think a lot about momentum and inertia in relation to life (probably because I'm a Buddhist), and have come to see everything that makes me be me in terms of tendencies and habits, which are like flywheels.<br />So when a big flywheel of "current activity" (which may also be "What I'm thinking about right now") needs slowing-stopping, it takes energy to do that quickly or at all, as there's not enough friction in the system for it to slow down and stop on its own. I often have to consciously withdraw energy/will from it and that takes energy. Same with getting a flywheel up to speed, of course, hence much of my executive dysfunction (and for mysterious reasons some flywheels seem to have the brake stuck On, so they're really hard to keep spun up).Womandrogynenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-8481347455820829032017-08-31T13:30:05.222-07:002017-08-31T13:30:05.222-07:00This is very, very like how ADHD works, too. Thank...This is very, very like how ADHD works, too. Thank you!Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10754823162771607065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-13281436029883342772017-07-14T14:20:49.379-07:002017-07-14T14:20:49.379-07:00Hi Cathy! Actually, empathy is highly misunderstoo...Hi Cathy! Actually, empathy is highly misunderstood in autists and aspies. I wrote something about that here: http://www.lunalindsey.com/2014/10/double-standards-irony-of-empathy-and.html<br /><br />Also, girls and women express autism differently than boys. Here's a good 1 hour talk on these factors: https://spectrumnews.org/features/webinars/webinar-the-female-autism-conundrum/<br /><br />Good luck to you and your daughter. :) You seem to be doing your best for her!Luna Corbdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-60001856633002023652017-07-13T20:22:24.786-07:002017-07-13T20:22:24.786-07:00Hello. Thank you for your article. My child is aut...Hello. Thank you for your article. My child is autist, but not an aspie. In fact, she may be the furthest opposite. <br />She is extremely high on empathy and social skills while extremely low on executive functioning. That said, parts of your theories are still very enlightening, and will stay with me for a while while I ponder and digest and see what I can do differently to help Gaia use her spoons and splines more effectively. <br />All the best, <br />CathyCathy O'Garahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11862592677730586549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-80630108435041790682017-07-12T12:33:32.516-07:002017-07-12T12:33:32.516-07:00After reading this I knew my husband would be able...After reading this I knew my husband would be able to identify with it. He read it and was very enthusiastic that he wasn't the only one! Oddly enough he wanted me to share his latest blog entry on Splines! https://computingandrecording.wordpress.com/2017/03/20/closest-point-to-a-cubic-spline/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16071755724253113727noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-68856344330132322552017-07-11T09:41:49.479-07:002017-07-11T09:41:49.479-07:00Thanks for this. I'm undiagnosed, but my son i...Thanks for this. I'm undiagnosed, but my son is on the spectrum, and the more I learn about him, the more I learn about myself. Your post really resonated with me, personally. I so related to your experience making a call about a bill. I talk on the phone for my job, and it doesn't require spoons, but bill phone calls and appointment scheduling--so many spoons. Thanks for sharing. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-40606337811979409862017-05-21T16:15:15.381-07:002017-05-21T16:15:15.381-07:00I've got PTSD, too, so. I relate. Also, those ...I've got PTSD, too, so. I relate. Also, those on the autism spectrum are more likely to have PTSD, and to generalize our triggers. Luna Corbdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-84099806949838397822017-05-21T15:59:50.003-07:002017-05-21T15:59:50.003-07:00I'm not autistic, or Asperger, or at least I&#...I'm not autistic, or Asperger, or at least I'm on the shallow end of the spectrum enough that I've never been diagnosed... But I have PTSD, which comes with depression and anxiety, and I constantly lose stuff, have some sensory issues, and am considered "gifted".... And this is exactly how my brain works!!! Thank you so much!! like yeah, reticulating my splines takes time and spoons. When the depression and/or anxiety are too bad, I cannot reticulate at all. I'm stuck in "leisure" tasks that do not require reticulating at all, like phone games, reading fiction, or Tumblr.<br /><br /> I need to gather all of the info about a topic before I start writing a paper, and get in a non-triggering environment (sunlight, food, only people I know and I'm ok having a meltdown in front of, ...) because I know any writing will be an uphill battle of anxiety. My boyfriend doesn't udnerstand why it takes me so long to get started, and why I can't just "break it down into smaller writing sessions"... Because I'm trying to conserve the energy of reticulating all of my splines everytime! But I didn't know how to put that into words...<br /><br />Shopping at the supermarket is a truggle because if they don't have something that was on my list, or have something that I didn't expect, I have to start reticulating as I go, and I end up forgetting things along the way. It's like my brain only has two arms and I'm trying to hold onto all of the imput of the supermarket at the same time. While trying to go as fast as possible because the fluroescent light, loud music, and poeple, are sensory triggers. <br /><br />Anyway, thank you so much, this made me think a lot and allowed me to understand myself better and feel less bad about some of my disabilities :)<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6526994340344193915.post-2963335473510575402017-03-23T15:00:53.825-07:002017-03-23T15:00:53.825-07:00Thanks, Ethan. I do what I can. Keep going!Thanks, Ethan. I do what I can. Keep going!Luna Corbdenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00248755241861752232noreply@blogger.com