Hello! New member cause I'm tired of just surfing lol....

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Joined: 22 Dec 2010
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 4

23 Dec 2010, 3:48 am

Hello all. Since I discovered this site I've only been reading and searching through the threads. However, tonight I remembered something I asked on Yahoo Answers last year and thought it something humorous to share. Mind you I wrote the question after a particularly maddening day at college, and it was something between a rant and a plea. I didn't know I had AS then; it took me a couple more months of scouring the internet to stumble upon it. (and that's when it all clicked)
Anyway here is the question because I can't post URLs or links yet:

""""What is it exactly that hinders me?
I am a 19 year old male who is a little fed up and wants to know what is wrong with me. I have trouble interpreting what I hear. Note that this occurs only intermittently. I hear the stream of sounds coming out of someones mouth but occasionally I can't decipher exactly what words were spoken. Thus, I can't translate those sounds into their corresponding meanings.

This works the other way as well; more often than not it is difficult to form my ideas into words. Writing is not so bad becuase I have time, but conversation is a challenge. I tend to make myself seem stupid when trying to explain a complex idea to someone. Sometimes the only way I can convey my thoughts is using larger words and longer sentences; I avoid doing this so I'm not percieved as a jackass. Then when I try to use simpler words, what I say fails to represent my idea, and I sound stupid. (This is most prevalent in a debate-like conversation where different ideas are being argued and defended.)

After some research, I found that it may be auditory processing disorder. I have always utilized other peoples body language, lips, facial expressions, and eyes during conversation to help me in case I miss something they say. I actually enjoy observing people and trying to collect as much data as I can to try and guess their thougts and intentions. Also, I have always been adept at detecting lies.

Regardless of the nature of this problem, it has caused me to be socially awkward for most of my life. In addition, I avoid phone conversation because chopped up words and the lack of visual cues really doesn't help my predicament. These difficulties multiply when I'm nervous, so you can imagine how my game is with girls (abominable). I don't want to see a shrink or some other professional as I can still excel in school. (I failed out my first year(09-10) of college, but for reasons unrelated to my learning ability or aptitude). I just want an answer and maybe some additional ways to cope.

I welcome all opinions."""""

Btw, when I said I used people's lips, expressions, etc. I meant that I did so to the best of my ability; I'm not some pro lol.