My Top Ten Talents As An Autistic Person

That are largely useless but fun to have

I previously shared ten things I struggle to do as an autistic person, including navigation and going without sleep. This list is a more positive antithesis: ten things I’m ridiculously good at because of my neurotype.

In case you’re curious, I have an OCD comorbidity rather than an ADHD comorbidity, so my AuDHD friends may not relate to all of these. Still, I think it’s fun to share our talents and I encourage others to do so in the comments. Without any further ado, here are ten talents of mine as an autistic person, ranging from the personally beneficial to the surprisingly marketable.

#1: Puzzles

This one comes from the autistic tendency towards higher abstract spatial reasoning, or being able to measure the space between objects by eyesight. In practice, this looks like me using certain landmarks in the puzzle picture to determine where a piece would fall in relation to them.

Not to mention that puzzles provide satisfying visual and tactile stimuli. As a kid and even now, it’s like I get locked into the process of doing the puzzle until it’s finished.

During emotionally turbulent times, putting each piece into place helps with self-regulation. The meditative act feels like a symbolic fixing of my problems, even if the puzzle is more of an escape than anything else.

Due to a shortage of tables in our small apartment, I can only do puzzles at my husband’s desk when he’s away on a business trip, and it’s the perfect way to pass the time. Put on a spooky conspiracy video in the background and I can bang out a 1000-piece puzzle in less than two days!

#2: Meal planning

The way that I’m able to ration food for the week must have something to do with abstract spatial reasoning, too. Each week, my refrigerator and pantry slowly grow empty before I fill them back up again like clockwork.

And you should see me filling a week’s worth of groceries into a single backpack and canvas bag at checkout — I give the checkout ladies a run for their money with the way I manage to evenly distribute weight and keep the eggs perfectly cushioned.

The military-like efficiency that I apply to my grocery shopping is not only easy on the wallet but also reduces food waste to nearly zero. Everything in my kitchen gets used up in delicious meals before it goes bad!

#3: Budgeting

As you might be able to infer, I am one stingy bitch. My inability to get a full-time job with benefits leaves me with little choice but to be excellent at budgeting, which I am. Now, I don’t do any aesthetic graphs or anything, but perhaps once the numbers are a little less depressing, I’ll be up to it.

Where my budgeting skills shine is in my weekly grocery shop, my travel research skills, and in resisting the urge to buy things I don’t need. Delayed gratification is a close friend of mine. I know where my priorities lie and my spending reflects that.

While all the budgeting in the world can’t make up for the socioeconomic struggles I and many other disabled people face, it helps keep me afloat until my husband hopefully becomes rich enough to pay for all the trips and hobby supplies I desire!

#4: Packing

My in-laws always make fun of me for what I’ve dubbed my “Mary Poppins bag.” No matter which large tote I’m lugging around, you can guarantee it has everything I need in it. Several times they have even asked me for something to find that yes, I do have a fan, SPF, body wipes, etc.

Preparation is my middle name, although anxiety was a close second in the naming ceremony.

Packing for trips is no exception. The contents of my carry-on account for every hydration, fuel, electronic, or entertainment need I may have.

I don’t travel (or even leave the house) often, but when I do, I know I’m leaving with everything that I need (except the kitchen sink).

#5: Binge-watching

Netflix changed the game for how everyone consumes television, including me. I was a junior in high school when the newly invented platform enabled me to binge-watch the first five seasons of Supernatural within a month.

This pattern has not stopped since the days of my overstimulated youth. Just yesterday I watched nine episodes of Below Deck season 7 in a row before my husband came home from a business trip.

I’m not saying this is healthy, but it is a source of regulation and sensory seeking for me as an autistic person. Reality TV is like a temporary lobotomy where I don’t have to think about anything for a while, and I need to simulate the procedure often!

#6: Organizing

Back in high school, I used to stay up until everyone went to bed so I could secretly organize our DVD collection in alphabetical order. With two younger siblings and frequent visits from our rowdy cousins, this task was done often.

When things felt out of control in my own life, organizing DVDS helped restore order — at least to that space.

My room was another area where my organizing skills were prominent. I had one chair that was covered in clothes not yet dirty enough for the wash and my closets looked like a department store. Everything was labeled and neat.

Now that I know I’m autistic and have an OCD comorbidity, it’s clear why this was so important to me. Clutter overwhelms my neurodivergent brain. Organizing calms it. Having everything clearly labeled reduces the amount of thoughts popping around in my brain, which is always a good thing!

#7: Sarcasm

I long for the day when the Nazi-perpetuated myth that autistic people don’t understand sarcasm will die. Seriously, I understand sarcasm perfectly fine, it’s just that neurotypical people don’t always understand when I am being sarcastic back.

My face looks deadpan all the time, but still, once you get to know me, you’ll find that my sense of humor is easy to understand. If you don’t find me funny, I won’t take it personally, but I’ll definitely question your judgment.

#8: Direct communication

This one may depend on the person you ask. Some people mistake my bluntness for rudeness, which is not the case. Instead, I communicate in a curt but compassionate manner.

My emails are a primary example of this. Greetings and closings are included only if they are reciprocated. Otherwise, I consider them extraneous.

Unfortunately, despite my communication style being efficient and impersonal, it’s not favored in the workplace. Where it has paid off in dividends is in being able to create wonderfully authentic friends with other neurodivergent people. They know that if I have an issue with them, I will clear it up without any passive-aggressive digs.

What I say can be taken at face value, which is a quality I’m proud to possess.

#9: Being a hermit

I’ll always remember one Saturday afternoon in middle school when I was doing a puzzle and my older cousin texted me asking what I was doing. I answered “A puzzle,” to which she urged me to come to the mall with her and her friend.

Although I was perfectly content to continue working on my puzzle, my cousin guilted me into coming by calling it “sad” that I didn’t have any plans (I did — it was doing that puzzle). Needless to say, I’d rather have stayed at home, much to my mother’s chagrin.

My entire life, my family made fun of me for being a homebody. They pushed me to make friends, which I’d given up on by middle school.

Looking back, it makes so much sense. Weekends were recovery periods from the heavy masking that I did at school and in sports. Much of those were taken up by family gatherings where I sought reprieve with a book in a quiet room, begging people to stay out. Because socializing became something I dreaded, I snatched any chance I could to opt out of it.

One of the main benefits of adulthood is not having to defend my desire to stay at home any longer. Loneliness and boredom do plague me on occasion, but I’ve learned how to cope with those feelings as they arise rather than looking for friends to fill that void.

I get out plenty with my runs, errands, and dates with my husband. Other than that, I like to be at home where it’s comfy, calm, and free!

#10: Being authentic

When I learned I was autistic during the pandemic, my ability to mask disappeared. The burnout caught up with me, which forced me to refigure my life so that I wasn’t constantly wanting to check out of it.

The impact on my career, finances, and social life cannot be understated, but that was necessary to be authentic to myself. I’m glad to be rid of the people who only liked me with my mask, because that me was miserable.

One of the most rewarding things I’ve done in my life is unveiling my true neurodivergent self and becoming best friends with her because she’s pretty fucking great.

In a world that constantly tells neurodivergent people (and especially neurodivergent women) that they’re not good enough, praising ourselves is a powerful thing. So let’s lift each other up in the comments. What are some things you’re good at due to your neurotype? How are they useful for you?

I look forward to hearing about the many talents of our neurodivergent community. Now if you excuse me, I’ve got more episodes of this wild Below Deck season to watch.

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