Autistic Math

It could mean different things to different people. Just because you have a strain of autism doesn't mean you're some kind of genius like Rain Man who was more a savant than anything. There are all different types and strains of autism. I was lucky enough to only have Asperger's Syndrome.

If were to explain my own obsession with math I would say that it's like taking medicine. I'm not especially brilliant at math. Still I love to run numbers in my head. I dutifully read the electric meter each week and enter the results in a spread sheet program. When I go shopping, I stare at a cooler full of butter as I start analyzing the prices versus the weights.

I also have similarities to Temple Grandin in the way she could see things visually. I see circles, gears, lines and graphics as a kind of overlay to the daily life I witness.

I honestly believe that the majority of people holding down IT and Web development jobs are on the autistic spectrum. An autistic obsession with math is common and it's what makes autistics so good at working with computers.