Published on 12, July, 2020
Hi All,
Another question from me - I think I've built up A LOT and now that I've found a space to get answers they are all coming out so...
Before I realised I had Autism and ADHD I had started researching Auditory Processing Disorder. For a long time I have really struggled with audio input and from a quick research it seems like this is another thing that is linked with Autism - which, makes sense. I've had a hearing test and everything is fine physically.
Here are some of my experiences.
I often have a lag between what people say and my brain deciphering it. Sometimes someone will say something, I say 'what?' and then halfway through them repeating it my brain computes what they had said.
I often misunderstand what people say and code the words as something with a similar pattern. As a silly example, I might hear 'cat on a mat' as 'bat on a hat'.
I struggle to talk to people when I perceive the background sound to be louder than they are. For example, talking to people on a bus is really, really hard. I find the bus is louder than they are and I keep struggling to process what they are saying. It makes the conversation really hard and stressful and then my brain just starts shutting down and stops generating the conversation. This usually ends up with me sitting in silence or really feeling like I have to wade through a conversation. It isn't like this every single time, I can have good days but I can also have bad days where it is much worse.
Music. I just really struggle with lyrical music. I find it hard to hear the lyrics and feel like all the other sounds make the actual vocals really hard to hear. It can be really difficult if someone tries to get me to listen to music and think about the lyrics and I need to actually see the lyrics to engage. Sometimes, it can all sound like a mash of sound if I'm feeling sensitive. I do like some lyrical music but that's either because the music sound is nice and I don't actually pay attention to the vocals OR the music is nice and the vocals are simple and clear. Most of the time I listen to instrumental music like chillstep.
Does anyone else have experiences with symptoms of Auditory Processing Disorder that they are willing to share?
Oh! I also watch TV/Films with subtitles if I have the option. Generally I can get away with not doing this if I'm not paying close attention to the show but if I actually want to fully engage and I can't have subtitles it is really, really difficult and detracts from my enjoyment.
Thank you for sharing, SuffolkAutistic. I really dislike having important conversations on the phone too. I also find that important conversations tend to crop up without warning (e.g. medical telephone calls don't ever seem to actually be scheduled) which means I can't get into a good place for the call which makes it even more awkward. That does sound like the worst! I used a walkie talkie once when I was younger and I couldn't get into it because of the audio quality. Honestly - down with verbal instructions. Written follow-ups for more complex instructions (i.e. anything that isn't just do x) really need to be normalised more. I have no idea how people manage to listen to lengthy and complex instructions, not write notes and then just do it over the course of a few days. Baffling.
Thank you for sharing, Catlover. I'm the same with verbal instructions. I find people also add lots of unnecessary information into their speech which makes it more difficult sometimes. I often find myself processing and condensing verbal instructions down into simple points and asking for clarification. For example, they may speak for 5 minutes and then I say ok, you want me to do 1, 2, and 3? I prefer written instructions where possible as it reduces the pressure to try and correctly process and remember what they want me to do. With telephone calls I struggle to keep up too and have to have a pen and paper to hand to write down instructions as they come in. I find using headphones helps while on the telephone as the sound is going directly into my ears while also blocking out other background sounds. I completely understand about the coffee house situation. I have good days where I can deal with those types of situations and bad days where I really, really can't. I work in an open plan office with lots of different teams but am allowed to use headphones which helps me to tune out extraneous information.
Thank you for sharing, Touay. Sorry to hear you're going through this too.
Thank you for sharing, Luftmentsch. I completely agree with the job interviews. I absolutely despise them, it is so difficult to try and keep what they have said in my awareness especially when they ask long questions that are more than 2 sentences. At work, I really struggle with spoken instructions if it's anything more complex than one or two basic steps. My manager will write everything down for me though which is really good and the senior manager writes meeting summaries which is excellent because staying on top of conversations for a whole hour long meeting can be very difficult.
Thank you for sharing, Debbie. It's comforting to know that you are having similar experiences (even though it's not nice that someone else is going through it). It is only in the past year that I have had this in my awareness as something to look into and then various things happened in my personal life and it got pushed right to the back of the queue. It was only recently when I started researching Autism/ADHD that I've thought about it in depth again and had another big 'ah-ha' moment.
Yep all very similar to what you describe. I don’t like having important conversations on the phone for these reasons. Bit retro now, but I’ve had volunteering roles whereby I‘ve had to communicate using a radio and that is the absolute worst! Verbal instructions cause me the most bother on a daily basis.
Yep, it’s quite common. I often don’t ‘get’ verbal instructions first time, so ask for them to be repeated, or I try to repeat it until it makes sense. It could happen while on a phone call, and I can’t keep up with the conversation if I am being given information etc.
If I am in a coffeehouse for example, I can’t hear what my companion might be saying, because I can hear all the other conversations going on around me, and I can’t concentrate.
I have very similar issues.
I have the time lag and the sensory overload with loud background noise. The time lag issue can be a real problem at work or at job interviews.
My experiences are the same as yours.
It is only recently that I realised I probably have this.