Talking on the phone

I LOVE talking on the phone. I find it hard to understand what is not to love about it. So many positives about it.

I was unemployed some years ago, there was a call centre locally and they were recruiting. So I applied and was taken on as a trainee, I did well at learning about the company's products but when it came to the last part of the training dealing with calls (usually customer complaints), I performed poorly and the training didn't lead to a job. I found the experience of being on the telephone all day stressful, I even had unpleasant dreams at night (something that I don't usually have). I now have a job which thankfully has a lot less telephone use.

I have problems with phones! I hate them! I always do everything I can to avoid them! They make me really anxious for some reason.

Hi I have Aspergers and don't find it easy to answer the phone - never have but have had to get over it as I am a Registered Childminder and it could be work - my daughter is the same (she is awaiting an assessment for Aspergers) but she is registered too so she has to answer now - I love txt and e mails but my sister gets upset if I dont phone (she is Aspergers too but is opposite to me with regards telephones) so have also had to have phone conversations with her but I let her know when I have had enough - when I have to phone people I have a list and try to do them in one day and it exhausts me 

Hi you are not alone of course - it can be overcome by practice - keep doing it - me and my daughter are the same but now that we are Childminders we have to answer as it may be work - my sister used to get so upset as I txtd instead if phoned so I made myself and she knows I won't stay on long - we are all Aspergers diagnosed and have very different traits - Sylvia 

Loathe it, particularly my relatives. Part of this is the guilt that builds up from not phoning. The anticipation of the critism (which never arrives) paralyses me from dialing the number.

Similar at work. So anti-phone it has almost earnt me some disciplineries and certainly pissed off many of my colleagues. At times it is so powerful as to give me an instantaneous melt-down just by it ringing.

My son doesn't like talking on the phone at all and will not answer it. We have a code where if it is me I ring and let the phone ring about 4 times. I then put the phone down and ring again and he will answer it. It's a bit easier now as we have number recognition on the display. I have entered all the phone numbers that we use regularly so he now knows who it is. It's so hard for him to communicate with unknown people.

Yeah I loathe it as well, its made worse because I have a speach impediment akin to stuttering, called cluttering, but any real time ocal cimunication is a horroble trial unless I know the person very well and am higly comfortable with them. Even then its rare. 

I have always hated using a telephone, and so glad that now I can sort out nearly everything I need to by email or text. If I have to contact someone at work, I usually check their calendar and then call when they're in a meeting, just so that I can email them instead (with the starter "I called but you were in a meeting so ..."). I hate it most when my sister calls to chat, as I have nothing to say: I frequently ignore the phone if it is her, although I do like her. 

If I just have to call someone, I write out everything I need to say while I have a calming cup of something before calling. This prep can take 30mins or more for a 5 minute call, and I'm shaking when I put the phone down.

The only person I'm ok with is my daughter who doesn't expect me to chat much - she does most of the talking, and we use Skype whenever possible, which makes things easier for me too. I do like talking to her, as she's always asking my advice and there is nothing makes me feel happier than when I've been able to help someone else.

A phone conversation with my family, friends, relatives only takes 30 seconds usually. I can't understand why so many other people spend up to half an hour or even an hour speaking to someone on the other end, I wouldn't have the patience to be able to sit in one spot to talk in that amount of time as I can't walk and speak over the phone, I sometimes lose where I walk or on the other hand my words jumble all over the place.

In alternative situations like for my bank for my debit card, of course I have to wait in a queue, so it's a bit better when not talking and listening to the queue music, the phone conversation is more formal, and since I talk formally almost all the time I can be direct with the member of staff, but I still get words jumbled up because I am either speaking too fast or didn't plan the conversation (then again who does?).

I've really struggled with speaking on the phone for years and other than speaking to one friend in particular, I tend to avoid it, preferring to communicate in writing.

Unfortunately a lot of businesses and government services seem to ask you to call them if you make an initial contact in writing or in person and I'll feel my stress levels building up before I've even picked up the phone. I've broken down in tears as soon as I've put the phone down on many occasions.

I have always been the same and wont ring anyone for informal chats. Doctors and dentist booking are straight forward as they are formal. I love text and email because I don't have to 'say' anything. I dry up on phone and even as middle adult I do yes no stuff. I will ring one or two people and at first I start of saying I hate the phone. They now know that but then I don't ring them for informal chats. I always work out my first line if ringing them two up. I hate the phone. But love texting and email. perhaps she be happier with doing that, it not the communication, it the how, I believe. Texting was next best thing since slice bread for me. Email been really good too and all these things. She's not alone I truelly hate the phone. My friends know and understand it nothing to do with them. I won't answer. But will answer text.  She isn't alone and she will find ways around it

Me and my brother are the same with phone conversations.  It is very yes no answers.  It's the same when face to face sometimes but as the phone focuses solely on voice and conversation it's going to be more noticeable.  Again, I think it's a society standard that you must be able to have conversations on the phone.  I don't personally like it and my life is so much easier since the invention of testing and the internet.  Me and my Mum keep in contact regularly via messaging.  People do think it's strange we don't phone a lot, but because we don't talk on the phone doesn't mean our relationship suffers and it also doesn't mean I don't care or think about her.

I think in a way judging an autistic person on their phone conversations is like judging a deaf person on their phone conversations.  They can't do it, or have difficulty doing so, and there is nothing wrong with that.  You just have to find a method of communication that is more suitable for your son and the family.  My Mum and Dad split up when I was 2 and with the Autistic traits running in my Mums side of the family my Dad finds it hard to keep involved in our lives as we avoid the phone.  I do phone my Dad occasionally and try my hardest to keep conversation going but unless you have an intense shared interest it can be difficult.  What the weather is like and what was happening on last nights X factor isn't something I can hold a conversation about.  My Dad doesn't like messaging and Facebook and all these other things that make our lives easier, but we don't feel comfortable on the phone, so it's all about reaching a comprimise I think.  Because my Mum's side of the family understand autistic issues we all keep in contact via Facebook or email, even my Granny and Grandad sent emails and joined Facebook!  It was something fun and new for them to learn where they could keep up with the family, and it was great for my Granny as she was on the autistic spectrum herself. 

I hope something there was helpful and I wasn't just rambling.  lol

Hello, Hotel California.

I myself struggle to speak on the telephone, other than to known friends or relatives. In my school days, I didn't seem to mind doing so at first, but one of my fellow high school pupils allegedly rung me up, and teased me. I put the phone down immediately because of what he allegedly said - it wasn't swearing or verbal abuse, but he allegedly said or sung something that teased me so much, it upset me in a way. Some people tend to be offended by words or phrases that are not sweary, but still said or written in some excessively teasing or taunting manner.

Since I left high school in 1998, at the age of 17, I now communicate by mobile phone, text message or email, which were more or less in their infancies in those days. I can easily communicate by text or email, because I have more time to understand the questions or general information, but on the phone, one would ask me a question and expect an immediate answer, which can make speaking on the telephone a nervous experience. If you had to speak to your local bank, building society or whatever, making a phone call can be a real nightmare. One would probably end up hearing a recorded message, and also get put on hold for ages before speaking to a human being. To a normal person, that would be a problem, but to an autistic person like myself, that's even more so.

I have always disliked speaking on the phone and neither of my two children willingly speak to relatives on the phone either.