Hi all!
I am 34 and diagnosed with ASD as an adult. I am finding lengthy video calls for work extremely difficult as I find it almost impossible to listen beyond a few minutes. It brings to mind all my experiences of school which was very much 'chalk and talk'. I would get very angry at the teacher for talking and talking and would try to turn by brain off or distract myself by doodling etc.. As I got older at school sometimes I would leave the classroom or truant. As an adult, on video calls where I am being passive, it takes huge effort to remain engaged in what is being said and I end up getting so frustrated that I do things like dig my nails into my arm to keep myself focused. In larger meetings online I turn the camera off briefly so I can move around which relieves some of the frustration. I don't have so much of a difficulty concentrating if it is a to and fro conversation. After calls, I feel totally exhausted from the effort of concentrating and often need a power nap before I can do anything else.
Does anyone have any experience of this or an explanation as to why this might be? I am broadly considered bright and competent so it is difficult to tell others how much of a challenge this is for me because I feel like I'm being a poorly behaved child!
