Hi, I'm trying to figure out what's going on with me

Hi,

I was diagnosed with Asperger's a couple of years ago and I'm currently at university. I recently went back to the assessment documents and this website was mentioned for me to look at.

Sometimes, I just can't speak (or can, but barely), and I don't understand why. It doesn't seem to follow a pattern (that I can make sense of). I don't know what it is or what to do, but it's been like this all my life and I am gradually getting better. I'd like to speed it (the improving) up, if possible.

In school, I went from not being able to speak to anyone, to just a few people, to kids in my year, to all kids, to gradually being able to speak to teachers/adults outside of family. I've made progress in university too - I didn't send emails, now I do (still takes me a while and I get the same reaction(?) as when I struggle speaking), and I'm speaking more (in general). I can speak to anyone (apart from situations when I can't - it's situations rather than people now).

I don't feel anxious or worry or fear anything - there is nothing going through my head when this happens. I'm feeling normal, I've got stuff to say, I've got a chance to speak, but when I try to, for some reason I can't (or it takes me a while to start and I can barely put words together). 

This happens for seminars/presentations, which are a part of university coursework.

There's no problem in terms of lecturers giving me a hard time for it or anything (the opposite). The first presentation I worked with the group to make it but didn't present it and the second one I did (attempted to, at least) it just to my personal tutor (couldn't speak, even though I can talk to her - it makes no sense). It's having no impact on my grades. I've got a third one coming up and I'll be up there (hopefully) speaking a bit. The disability advisers at university seem to be more about accommodating it rather than fixing it, I think, anyway. Or maybe I can't explain it well enough to them if I don't understand it. I don't know to be honest, since I didn't have any of this in school since I had no diagnosis until after I already left.

What is going on here? Does it have a name? Is it something that I can get better at faster? If so, how?

I've tried to understand the pattern of it, but I don't see what would tie it together. Here's what I can think of:

I can't speak to google assistant (or siri, or cortana, etc. - the "ok google, look up X" or "siri, play Y" things), but I can do phone calls. I couldn't present to my personal tutor, but I can speak to her. I could barely speak in a discussion/debate, but I can speak to every single person in the room with no problem. I sometimes struggle with emails to my personal tutor, but not always. I went around employer stands at a careers fair starting conversations with absolutely no problem, I can speak to disability advisers I've never met, again, no problem, not had this problem in any social situations (e.g. at the pub, on the bus). I'd have thought speaking to potential employers or being in social situations with this would be more of an issue than speaking just to my phone, but no.

For what happens, I'm not sure. I can't speak and my face gets hot, but that's it, I think. I'm not breathing fast or anything like that (I'm pretty sure).

I don't know where to even start, all I really know is I have Asperger's.

Thanks for reading, sorry if it is long. Any sort of input on sorting this would be appreciated. Or anyone who is similar to this, that would be interesting to hear too.

Parents
  • I think it would be a good idea for you to find a speech & language therapist - either through resources at Uni, the NHS, or privately.

    I'm no expert and don't have personal experience, but my daughter has a speech delay so I have some understanding. There's lots of reasons why speech problems can occur and I think you could use input from an expert to work out what's going on and get some coping mechanisms.

  • Hi, thank you for responding.

    When I was diagnosed (NHS), I was referred to a local organisation where I've been on the waiting list for the past couple of years. Is this what I'm on the waiting list for, or is this something separate? If separate, what do I need to do?

    What resources could the uni have and what do I do to get them? I did a study needs assessment before going and I made the university aware. I have seen a few of the uni's disability advisers. I have no idea what I'm doing. I did used to have a mentor at the start, but she said she didn’t know how to help me, and I don't know how she could since I don't know what help there is or what it is that is wrong (specifically). I tried to explain this to a disability adviser, but he misunderstood (probably my fault), thinking I don't think I can be helped.

    I don't know how to fix this. My mentor said she didn’t know how to help me, I don't know what could be done (since I'm clueless on this whole thing since I didn't have this in school), she felt she was wasting my time. I don't want to have a mentor again and the same happen so I've just left it.

    Is that something fixable and if it is, is this what the resource my university has is?

    I am so sorry for being so clueless.

  • Don't be sorry for not magically knowing how the system works. The burden of knowing who to contact shouldn't be on the people who need help! Could you imagine if you were hit by a car and you needed to tell the paramedics what treatment you needed? It'd be ridiculous. They'd be prosecuted and rightfully so. But for some reason with anything mental health or neurodiversity related, we're somehow supposed to know what we need and who to ask to get it, and self-advocate. It's ridiculous and absolutely discriminatory. (Sorry. Sore point of mine!)

    I don't know what you're on the waiting list for - you'd have to get in touch with whoever did the assessment and ask. I know once my daughter was diagnosed (autism rather than asperger's) and we requested an EHCP, we were given a case worker. Can you check the letters you've had and see if you have one? If you do, they would be a great place to start and should be able to tell you who you need to contact.

    I'm not sure what resources your uni has, but most of them should have some kind of student counselling service. That's where I would start - if they don't know what to do, they should know who to ask.

    If you weren't having this problem in school, it seems logical to me that it's not permanent, especially since it's situational rather than all the time. I would hazard a guess at stress? Uni is a massive life-changing step; everyone has some amount of stress while they're there, and it comes out in different ways. But it takes a professional to make that call for sure.


  •   wrote:

    DeepThought may I ask a question...btw...that was not the question


    No it was not 'the' question, it is though 'a' question that is relative to 'the' question, and maybe has relevance to NAS35855, and therefore also the current line of reasoning being addressed perhaps.

    For instance, just as light by refraction involves seven rays of Light as being a spectrum of seven colours: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, so it is that western consciousness by crystallisation involves seven experiences of Consciousness ~ as being a range of seven sensibilities: Rational, Sentimental, Communicational, Emotional, Imaginal, Reproductional and Sensational. This correlates also with the fact we have the seven tones of the voice, the seven notes of music, and the seven shapes of minerals, as an environmental consideration.

    The title of the link is '7 Great Books for Boosting Your Presentation Skills', and part of the problem is that NAS35855's presentations skills are either primed, or they are not primed.

    Either way though, primed or not, no verbal presentation skills have been presented for accreditation ~ what with NAS35855's mind going blanc of thoughts, and without their thoughts ~ their body has been at a loss for expressing words.

    So with the seven linguistic and pictograhic styles mentioned in Geoffrey James' appraisal, as a professional speaker, and considering the most viable presentation methodology or methodologies for NAS35855 ~ seems as such quite relevant. How relevant these presentation methodologies may be though for NAS35855 ~ is the reason I raised this question; regarding 'the' question.

    If that helps any?


Reply

  •   wrote:

    DeepThought may I ask a question...btw...that was not the question


    No it was not 'the' question, it is though 'a' question that is relative to 'the' question, and maybe has relevance to NAS35855, and therefore also the current line of reasoning being addressed perhaps.

    For instance, just as light by refraction involves seven rays of Light as being a spectrum of seven colours: Violet, Indigo, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, so it is that western consciousness by crystallisation involves seven experiences of Consciousness ~ as being a range of seven sensibilities: Rational, Sentimental, Communicational, Emotional, Imaginal, Reproductional and Sensational. This correlates also with the fact we have the seven tones of the voice, the seven notes of music, and the seven shapes of minerals, as an environmental consideration.

    The title of the link is '7 Great Books for Boosting Your Presentation Skills', and part of the problem is that NAS35855's presentations skills are either primed, or they are not primed.

    Either way though, primed or not, no verbal presentation skills have been presented for accreditation ~ what with NAS35855's mind going blanc of thoughts, and without their thoughts ~ their body has been at a loss for expressing words.

    So with the seven linguistic and pictograhic styles mentioned in Geoffrey James' appraisal, as a professional speaker, and considering the most viable presentation methodology or methodologies for NAS35855 ~ seems as such quite relevant. How relevant these presentation methodologies may be though for NAS35855 ~ is the reason I raised this question; regarding 'the' question.

    If that helps any?


Children
No Data