I never heard of that being specifically related, maybe it is just a co-morbid condition. You are right that they are both neurological, but you cannot lump every neurological condition in with the Autism Spectrum Disorders, it does not appear to be in any of the diagnostic criteria for Autism or Asperger Syndrome.

I know. See, this person was all "some aspies are like me, they feel colors"...

I have heard of this many times and in books I read about Asperger's Syndrome, but in the books, they always emphasize that this is NOT unique to Asperger's. Some Aspies have this, some do not. My guess is that it is mentioned and brought to attention in the context of sensory sensitivity. Aspies, as you know have specific keen senses and this can condition may be found more in Aspies than non-Aspies because of their heightened sensitivities, but no -- not a defining characteristic of Aspeger's.

I think a lot of people miss the name "Autism Spectrum Disorder". The Spectrum part is the really important part of the name. Everyone is a little different, not all people with Asperger Syndrome are the same and not all people with Autism are the same. I have heard a lot of "All Aspies have xxxxxx". The term "All" does not apply to a spectrum disorder - we are all different in some way or another

Personally, I don;t even think this person has synesthesia. This person, like Asperger's, is something you tend to find out something "new" about every day...

Ah...update. This person does not "feel colors", they feel "in colors". As in "I feel orange today".

I've heard "neurotypical" people say things like that!

I guess if they want to claim it as a social quirk they can but Asperger's?...

Anyway, actual synesthesia in relationto AS is something interesting.

Wikipedia has a very informative synesthesia page. Google synesthesia -- there's a lot out there in various pages.

I hadn't ever considered myself a Synesthete until I happened upon this: Apparently, most Synesthetes sense that numbers and letters of the alphabet have inherent colors, and the capital of that letter is usually a different color. What's so interesting (to me) about this is that Synesthetes AGREE for the most part on the colors of the letters or numbers. It said that capital 'A's were overwhelmingly perceived as red. I did not sense that, but I asked hubby to tell me which color a capital A was, he said "red" immediately.

In one account, a person stated that the letter 'R' is yellow. In a split second my mind said, "No, it's BLUE." That came as a surprise to me. Notice my initials in my username: first & last, maiden. 'R', at least in capital form, has always brought up 'blueness' in my mind. Yet synesthesia is not all about colors - it can affect many or all of the senses.

As I discussed synthestheteism with hubby, it became clear that I've a moderate amount of it, while he has always been overwhelmed by it throughout his life. We just never had a name for it until that recent day.

The sound of someone balling-up a potato chip bag before tossing it into the trash (what's the point of that, anyway?) causes pain not only to my ears, but to my entire body. Sound=>Tactile The very moment a pretzel bag enters this house, I put them directly into a kind, soft, quiet Ziploc bag, and toss the crunchy bag, as is, into the trash.

Enjoy learning about synesthesia -- you might recognize yourself in it!

RMR

P.S., Hi! I'm new here.

" What's so interesting (to me) about this is that Synesthetes AGREE for the most part on the colors of the letters or numbers. It said that capital 'A's were overwhelmingly perceived as red"

That is interesting.

There always seems to be some leakage between seanses - as a musician working with electronics it's common parlance to term a paticular sound as "warm" or indeed "fat"

And welcome to the board.

Thanks for the welcome, Curious.

I find Mark Knopfler's music very dark purple and calming.

As to a musician's own creations, I imagine their senses must be *exploding* with color, scent, imagery, etc.. Perhaps I'm projecting; that's what happens when I hear music that achieves what I consider art-worthy. Corporate-produced (hesitate to say music, but...) music brings forth only the urge to run!

Pleased to know you,

Rebecca

I go along with the model of Autism (including Aspergers) as more of a starfish than a linear spectrum. The spectrum part, I see as more of an intelligence thing which neurotypical people have in common with ASD sufferers, but that the higher the intelligence the easier it is to cope with ASD and Aspies have the highest intelligence of the Auties.

The starfish model is the way I describe the variations in Autism based on the way we process sensory information. Autism is a communication disorder not an intellectual disorder. Communication is based on the ways information transfers from the outside world to the inner world of the brain, namely the five senses: Sight, Hearing, Taste, Touch, and Smell. One author, a specialist in the field of brain damage, described the quirks of autistic children to be based on whether they were Hyper or Hypo sensing in one or more of the five senses. This is where the "Starfish model" comes in.

Each point of the star could represent one of the senses: Some are Hyper sensitive to sound where common noises are extremely bothersome. Others have different reactions to sights, touch, taste and smell.

I am Hypo sensitive to sound such that normal sounds rarely get my attention and it takes an uncommonly long time for me to process mentally anything that I merely hear, especially the first time I have heard such a thing. The same is true for Sight. I am Hypo sensitive to sight. I have a tendency to stare at one thing for a long time, kind of memorizing it. I do not relate to Synesthesia much, myself but I can understand how others might experience it.

My senses of taste and smell are particularly strong. I hardly notice if the car makes unusual sounds, but if it smells of gas, oil, or some other chemical I want it diagnosed right away. I tend to avoid any foods that are spicy and simply savor the delicate flavors of bland foods with only a small amount of salt, and rarely pepper.

I believe I am neurotypical where my sense of touch is concerned, but touch sometimes helps complete my overall comprehension of the outside world when I lack sufficient understanding from what I see or hear, and when tasting and smelling don't cover the circumstance.

"As to a musician's own creations, I imagine their senses must be *exploding* with color, scent, imagery, etc.. "

For me, not so much - I think directly in sounds or mood. But if I'm trying to communicate with others then I may have recourse to using terms like dark, light etc.