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Loss of speech for longer periods

ZoZebra

Hi everyone, 

I'm a usually verbal autistic lady, though I do experience issues with cluttered speech even on a good day.

For the last few years (before my diagnosis), I have had hours or days at a time where I could not speak, think, or really move when I felt overwhelmed. At the time I was told I had dissociation, though now it makes sense that I was experiencing shutdowns.

This happens less to this dramatic degree now, as I have learned to soothe myself and take it easy, but I am still experiencing days at a time of feeling like I am unable to speak or express myself. It is not selective mutism (although I do get that at times) as it is not related to anxiety-producing situations. I am experiencing one of these at the moment and I am at home in a safe space. 

I'm finding it hard to find much online about verbal adults losing speech for longer periods of time, i.e., days or more). I am still getting on with my work today from home, so I am still functioning, but I feel numb inside, 'on pause', and unable to speak.

Does anyone else experience this? I'd just really like to hear from anyone who experiences loss of speech like this, so I don't feel so alone. In addition, how do you manage if it goes on for a long time? 

Be great to hear from anyone with intermittent speech issues!

Thank you Slight smile

Parents

  • Hi Thanks for that. My son didn't have diagnoses till he was 21 in hopsital on mounds of antipsyhotc drugs and others. It was all my history from school and GP records, family history. And it is highly likely that he has not got or ever had a psychotic illness, but the withdrawals from the drugs and the drugs themselves interfered with the speech production and thought process more than anyone i have known on these drugs he wasn't Autistic, so there must be something in the Autistic brain relating to anxiety I think that also interrupts sppech process and delivery.

    My son thirty today is a speaking autistic, and before meds very good at learning languages. When he was at school, say aout 8 years old I was told by teacher support that ny son would be sitting in class and then seem  like he was day dreaming, zoned out. When he came home from school some days when there had been a problem he needed to talk about, but didn't tell me to later in the evening, it wasn't like he was hding anything from me, he just had to feel I suppose better in his safe place so he could let the speech flow.

    In his head right now, he is not in a safe place as the withdrawals of meds are terrible, we are getting his MH nurse in on Friday just to check things her side of the fence so to speak with MH and take it from there, it's very new territory for her to deal with someone Autistic with OCD and anxiety that probably never had a MH illness.

    But what you have said has made very interresting reading. I could ramble on more but kitchen duty calls. If I think of anything else, will get back to you

  • in reply to NAS83382

    I’m sorry to hear your son has experienced all of that. I spent most of my life in mental health services being medicated for various mental illnesses that I never had also. Though I am not on any heavy medication any more, thank goodness.

    I think it’s interesting how few people seem to relate to the loss of speech. I asked the same question elsewhere on social media & didn’t get many people saying they could relate. 

    I worry about catatonia, though admittedly I know very little about it other than reading the symptoms online. 

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  • in reply to NAS83382

    I’m sorry to hear your son has experienced all of that. I spent most of my life in mental health services being medicated for various mental illnesses that I never had also. Though I am not on any heavy medication any more, thank goodness.

    I think it’s interesting how few people seem to relate to the loss of speech. I asked the same question elsewhere on social media & didn’t get many people saying they could relate. 

    I worry about catatonia, though admittedly I know very little about it other than reading the symptoms online. 

Children
  • in reply to ZoZebra

    H I just spotted your answer, I still don't get how these forums work. Yes we are into almost the end of week 4 without drugs and being that these drugs block loads of things relating to the cognitive skills and motor skills. My sons brain seems to have loss, but since drugs has also rambled alot, its either flat and zomnbied state or the brain on over drive and won't sit still to think, also extreme in his OCD at the moment. Where his moods all all over the show, he smashed a few glasses, now he thinks he has glass in hus mouth and during his main meals keeps wanting to spit, he is on high anxiety all the time. Sleep isn't that great either as his mind is racing. I'm glad to hear that my son is not the only one with speech interference with drugs who is Autustic and got stuck in mental health system. How long did it take for your speech and thinking to settle?