Asperger's Syndrome and Zoos

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Shirokuma

Well-Known Member
I have high- functioning Asperger's syndrome which is a neurological condition (I refuse to use the word disorder) on the autism spectrum.

One of the most common aspects of having Asperger's is having narrow, intense and obsessive interests.

I think this is why I am so interested in zoos. I am especially interested in maps and layouts and can actually draw quite accurate maps from memory of zoos I haven't even visited and easily find my way around zoos even if it's my first visit as I already know where everything is.

A drawback of having Asperger's is that I can often get overwhelmed and have sensory overload which means I don't always feel able to go to the zoo even if I want to.

Anyway, I just thought it might be interesting for people to learn more about this and wondered if there are any other aspies on here and if you have coping mechanisms for dealing with overload in zoos.
 
How nice of you to share this with us Shirokuma! I would be very interested in hearing more of how you would describe your condition in your own words, and how you experience things. I tend to think that a lot of people with these "narrow, intense and obsessive interests" would qualify somewhere on the very vague diagnose "autism spectra", if tested. And, you are certainly not the only one here with an interest that could be described in those words.
 
Thanks very much for sharing this, Shirokuma. I too would be interested in hearing more about your own views. If you don't mind me asking, how does your interest in zoos compare with your other intense interests?
 
It's hard to explain what it is like having Aspergers. In some ways I would say it is like being a foreigner wherever you go because you can never quite understand what's going on and feel quite apart from everyone else.

I'm lucky because I am quite high functioning and this means I can articulate things in a way that other people with Aspergers or more severe forms of autism might not, at least in writing, I do find it harder in speech. Writing is always my prefered form of communication, I find talking on the phone quite difficult.

I live independently (not always entirely competently but I get by) and I have a full time job, aspects of which I struggle with but on the whole it is suited to my skills and special needs which some people know about but aren't common knowledge in my place of work.

I have a couple of other interests, flags for example and languages, maps, random aspects of European history and geography (Liechtenstein for example) also the winter olympics even though I'm not especially interested in sport but zoos are by far my biggest and most consistant interest, every since I was very young. I used to write letters to zoos all over the place asking for maps or leaflets and drew very complex maps and plans. I still do.

When I was at university I tried very hard to be like everyone else, or what I thought it meant to be like everyone else so I drifted away a bit but my friends would occasionally 'take me out' to the zoo and generally be astounded by my knowledge. That was the time when I found socialising most easy because university life was very structured and involved going to the same places all the time or with a certain regularity (structure and routine are important to people with Aspergers) and I felt safe around a nice group of people. To be honest I now feel quite isolated socially and it's not unusual for me not to leave the house all weekend. I work on the same road as where I live which helps but it means that I can go for a long time without leaving my street.

In recent years, my zoo map collection has grown again and I go to zoos whenever I can. I even travelled to the USA and Canada last year which was a big deal for me. There are people I know of who couldn't do that but I find that part of having an obsession is that it pushes you to get over the aspects of Aspergers which might otherwise impede you, such as being in strange places. The desire to go to Woodland Park Zoo was incentive enough to get me through my fears and discomfort.

Going to zoos can be a bit overwhelming though. A variety of factors can contribute to sensory overload. I often feel too hot, even if everyone else is cold and I think that is a common aspect of aspergers.

Crowds can be difficult especially in a building where the noise can echo. If I am in a social situation lots of people talking just becomes noise and at bsest I just switch off because it's all too much.

And if I am somewhere new, the combination of taking everything in, making sure I see (and take photos) of every single exhibit can be difficult and overwhelming and by the end of the day I often start to feel overloaded. My therapist pointed out that I have a need for completeness and missing something or not having a full set of something can cause me great anxiety. Noise, heat, and so on combine to give me overload, it's not just one thing.

When I was younger I would usually then have a meltdown (a major, often violent loss of temper and intense distress) which I can now control but I remember as a child and into my teens I would lose control completely and have a meltdown, often after a nice day out, mainly because I was jut completely overloaded and being around my family would push me over the edge entirely. They didn't understand what was wrong so often I would be told '"we had such a nice day and now you have ruined it with your behaviour"

Managing it, that's not always straight forward. Eating and drinking prpperly are important. (I sometimes find cafeterias and places like that too difficult and I'm also very picky with food so I sometimes don't eat and that makes things worse. The closest I have come to having a meltdown was a couple of years ago when I went to Marwell by myself and didn't eat or drink or sit down once on a summer's day with white cloud which gives me a headache and makes me feel generally uncomfortable). resting is also important because often I don't stop at all and burn out.

I find if I focus on maps I can feel focussed and calmed. I have a book full of print outs of maps which I usually have with me in my bag. I also have objects like pebbles I can focus on and like the feel of the surface. Sometimes I just lock my self in a toilet cubicle and close my eyes for five minutes or so or I run cold water on my hands.

I also often wear sunglasses. I also wear headphones which are unconnected to my ipod just to muffle noise slightly.

I haven't been to the zoo in ages, mainly because I used to be able to walk there from my house but I moved last September and now have to get the tube or bus and I hate the walk from the tube or bus stop to the zoo because it is through Camden Town which I find particualrly stressful. So I worry about the journey and end up not going. One of my favourite places is the ZSL library but it's only open during office hours so I rarely get to go there.
 
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Shirokuma said:
I haven't been to the zoo in ages, mainly because I used to be able to walk there from my house but I moved last September and now have to get the tube or bus and I hate the walk from the tube or bus stop to the zoo because it is through Camden Town which I find particualrly stressful. So I worry about the journey and end up not going. One of my favourite places is the ZSL library but it's only open during office hours so I rarely get to go there.
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Have you thought of going to Regents Park or Great Portland Street on the tube? The walk to the Zoo through the Park is much nicer and only a few yards longer.

Alan
 
Confession time... To come straight out with it: I'm a fellow "Aspie" (the term I use to describe myself and others with Aspergers Syndrome) It's taken me a few days to convince myself to do this post but here goes....

Some people might be suprised, some of you who have met me in person may have guessed before. I daresay others know already but it's not something I've ever really discussed on the forum.

On the spectrum, I'm not badly affected compared to many people. I use a scale to describe myself, If one was not affected and ten was seriously disabled then I'd be around a three. I can do most normal daily things (walk, talk, go to college, use public transport etc) but like many people with Autism struggle with socialising, making friends, crowds and loud noises

Like Shirokuma has already discussed I also have intense obsessions. When I was younger they varied greatly, usually lasting two or three years at a time before being replaced with something else... Zoo's and wild animals have now been my passion for seven years (with a short gap in the middle due to circumstances) and have no plans to change again!

If anyone wants to know more about Aspergers then I'd recommend looking at the National Autistic Society website or reading "Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome" by Luke Jackson

Shirokuma - Thanks for making this thread, your above post is something I can completly relate too
 
Thank you Shirokuma and Nisha for your contributions. I found them interesting and now feel like I understand a little more.
 
Thanks you guys for posting it, I can't remember where I was but i once saw a TV clip that mentioned a kid who mainly powered through his aspbergers because of going to his local zoo and how it was the only place he was really comfortable. Honestly, one of the best things about volunteering at my local zoo is when I get to help the kids that come and suffer from severe autism or the like.
 
Shirokuma and Nisha, thank you very much for sharing this with us!
Very well written and interesting to read!

Shirokuma, if you don´t mind, I would have a question - when you went to the zoo, did you feel more comfortable going there alone or did you prefer to go with somebody else?
 
Stefka said:
Shirokuma, if you don´t mind, I would have a question - when you went to the zoo, did you feel more comfortable going there alone or did you prefer to go with somebody else?
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Someone asked me the same question and this, more or less, was my answer:

It varies to an extent. For example, I went with my sister to Bristol Zoo. That was good because it was a crowded sunny day and the zoo was packed. I would have found it extremely difficult by myself.

On the other hand the last time I was at London Zoo was with my flatmate (who used to work at the same place as me) and someone from work and I had a headache and was tired at the end of the day. It was nice to tell them all about everything but it was just exhausting. The person from work went back and said 'wow, he really loves the zoo, it's more than just a place to visit for him' and someone who knows me and about my Aspergers said that it's true and I take it very seriously.

I think I would worry about not seeing everything I wanted to if I went with someone too, or that they would take too long for lunch or sitting around. I also went to London Zoo with my sister in December and she got bored and cold because it was quite grey and dull and I wanted to show her everything and tell her everything but she had had enough and said it was disappointing compared with Chester and Bristol which we visited in the spring and summer. So sometimes it's good to go with someone and sometimes I just think, oh, you don't care really.

My old flatmate once said to me that I have to remember that to me the zoo is a very special place but to other people it's just a random place and they don't want to know every detail of everything. She said I shouldn't feel overly protective of it or be concerned if people are less enthusiastic than I am.

I've actually never been to the zoo with anyone who is also a zoo fan. Apart from one random occasion which wasn't even in a zoo, I don't think I've even met another person who loves zoos. When I was about 10 or 11 I was a member of the young members club at Chester. I used to go to some events and trips but never spoke to anyone else and never made any friends, I was always just by myself.

I also know a keeper through a family friend who is really nice but to be honest, whenever I see him I kind of hide and never say hello because I feel very awkward and self-conscious.

When I went to Woodland Park Zoo I spoke to some volunteers and they were impressed that I knew everything about the zoo, they thought I lived locally and was a regular visitor but it was my first ever visit.

They were thrilled to hear that I had gone all the way to Seattle just to visit the zoo.
 
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