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Verbal Communication & Social Interaction .

Turtle

Hi all,

I'm in between deciding whether to get a NHS or private assessment and self-doubt has crept in. I have read that Autists will have experienced problems with verbal communication or social interaction. Is this true for those of you who have been diagnosed ? I've never had any speech problems although I may have had problems communicating how I felt at times in my youth and with shyness but I don't think that would be considered anything major or out of the ordinary for many people. 

I don't recall major problems with social interaction either but I have masked and internalised a lot and had self-coping mechanisms for most of my life along with other traits associated with ASD. 

I'm curious to know others thoughts on the verbal communication & social interaction criteria for assessment. Are these the major indicators ?

Thanks.

Parents

  • Hiya

    The problem with being one of us is you probably don't notice all the strange things you do that people just accept as being you.      There's a general sloppiness and flexibility about interactions so people of different abilities somehow get on.

    If you sat down with 2 groups, one bunch of aspies and one bunch of NTs and moved back and forth as an observer, you'd see that there's a very different dynamic going on - the aspies would tend to be talking about physical things or experiences, the NTs would be playing status games and out-doing each other - it's fascinating to watch.

    Until you see it in action and feel the pull of where you fit, it's difficult to explain - and you might also have been lucky to have never been in 'crunch' conversations where you can actually feel the manipulation going on but be unable to find the words to fight back.

    Also, as you get older, your ability to mask diminishes so you get to a position where all your subconscious auto-masking runs out of puff and people start to notice your behaviour changing - getting irritable or giving a really inappropriate comment accidentally.- we see a lot of people on here realising they're different when it all falls down in middle age..

    If you think you might fit the criteria - go for it - what's the worst that can happen?   Smiley

  • in reply to Plastic
    Plastic said:
    the NTs would be playing status games and out-doing each other - it's fascinating to watch.

    Yes I've seen it. There is much competition, jealousy and immaturity. 

    Plastic said:
    you can actually feel the manipulation going on but be unable to find the words to fight back.

    Yes I've been there when I was younger, dumbfounded sometimes.

    Plastic said:
    Also, as you get older, your ability to mask diminishes so you get to a position where all your subconscious auto-masking runs out of puff and people start to notice your behaviour changing - getting irritable or giving a really inappropriate comment accidentally.- we see a lot of people on here realising they're different when it all falls down in middle age..

    Yeah I guess when you have been oblivious of something for so long and then the penny drops, it can all get too overwhelming and you just don't have the energy anymore for your previous life of masking. It's a very daunting place to be in as you question your identity with one foot in your previous life and the other in no man's land.

Reply
  • in reply to Plastic
    Plastic said:
    the NTs would be playing status games and out-doing each other - it's fascinating to watch.

    Yes I've seen it. There is much competition, jealousy and immaturity. 

    Plastic said:
    you can actually feel the manipulation going on but be unable to find the words to fight back.

    Yes I've been there when I was younger, dumbfounded sometimes.

    Plastic said:
    Also, as you get older, your ability to mask diminishes so you get to a position where all your subconscious auto-masking runs out of puff and people start to notice your behaviour changing - getting irritable or giving a really inappropriate comment accidentally.- we see a lot of people on here realising they're different when it all falls down in middle age..

    Yeah I guess when you have been oblivious of something for so long and then the penny drops, it can all get too overwhelming and you just don't have the energy anymore for your previous life of masking. It's a very daunting place to be in as you question your identity with one foot in your previous life and the other in no man's land.

Children
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