Is this an asperger's trait?

[RosaRugosa]

I have an older brother who has never been diagnosed with AS, but he fits the description perfectly. For example, he used to memorize hundreds of places of pi and recite them in a monotone, on and on, expecting others to find this as entertaining as he did. My question is not whether he has AS, but whether another facet of his behavior could be seen as an AS trait, or if it's just an individual trait of his.

He likes making extreme statements that he knows will provoke controversy. Often these statements seem very inhumane/intolerant, as if he's operating wholly in the realm of abstract logic and ideals, and completely lost touch with human empathy. Now, I've known my brother long enough to know that he's really a decent guy and would never harm a living soul, and that these things he says are just talk. Other people, though, tend to get upset.

My father has the same tendency, to a lesser degree, and I think he has at least a mild touch of AS. He's very literal-minded, and also (perhaps unsurprisingly) something of a religious fanatic. He likes his rules black and white, and he can be very intolerant, at least in theory. If it came down to actually being mean to people in person, he wouldn't do that; it's just when he goes off into his insulated world of rules and ideals that he says intolerant things. (I should probably mention that he's a retired computer programmer with not-so-great social skills.)

So I guess my question is, is there a tendency of people with AS to make extreme statements or take exaggerated positions in an argument just to make a point...or perhaps because they delight in the sheer extremity of the position? I suspect my brother may find it freeing to let loose like that once in a while, to drop the whole empathy thing and let pure, cold logic temporarily take over.

[Carey2]

Hi Rosa, yes it could well be a sign of someone with Asperger's Syndrome, many do hold extreme views and can be quite obsessive about them but you need a much wider picture to be sure of someone having a condition.

Reading your whole post it does look like this runs through your family and the rigidty with rules etc is another definite pointer.

I can think of a good few people that have a formal diagnosis , both male and female that will take a belligerant stance on things and argue till you drop even when they are proven to be totally wrong.

I think you need to read further into the subject and look at how your father and brother function in many facets of their lives to really be sure, what though will you do with the knowledge if you become sure that they are on the spectrum?

A lot of people do not want to be labelled and may well perceive the information as being an insult, it is a very difficult situation.

[RosaRugosa]

Thanks, Carey2. My brother has no interest in the subject, and I wouldn't push it. In some ways I can see how it would be helpful for him to know he has AS. On the other hand, I can also see how some people might misuse the information, e.g., "Oh, you're only saying that because you have Asperger's." Anyway, it's his life and his choice. I'm just curious about this particular trait because I've never seen it mentioned in the stuff I've read about AS.