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Joe90
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28 Aug 2011, 10:42 am

I don't mind talking to close relatives or friends who I know well on the phone, but I hate talking to official people on the phone. Where I live, there are always foreign receptionists, and so I find it even more difficult because I can't hear a word they're saying. I once said ''pardon?'' about seven times in a row before, and in the end I felt silly.

Although I'm an Aspie, I don't have trouble with non-verbal cues, so when I'm speaking to foreign people (or any people) face-to-face, if I can't catch what they're saying I can pick up clues from their facial expressions/body language. I like people to talk loud and clear - I can't cope when they talk quiet and fast.


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kx250rider
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28 Aug 2011, 11:34 am

OH YES! I despise phones and talking on them, hearing them blare out a sudden, frightening offensive sound that commands me to stop what I'm doing or thinking. Phones + Asperger's or HFA do not mix!! !!

I'd rather drive 100 miles to see a friend, than talk on the phone... And I never call stores to see if they have something in stock; I just go there, and if they don't have it, I keep trying elsewhere. The only reason I even want a phone in the house, is to call 911 if a fire starts.

I like to write, and I'd say that eMail is my favorite form of communication. Texting is OK, but that too can be very disruptive when it goes back & forth. The problem is, that my brain does not have a "PAUSE" button, which evidently NT brains do. So when the phone rings, or a text comes, it does to me what doing a shutdown/cold restart on a computer does. Everything on my brain's desktop is gone... Closed without saving work, etc.

Charles



Jhomes
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28 Aug 2011, 11:53 am

SakiHeart wrote:
I don't mind writing to people, and while I don't love talking to people in person, it's so much less frightening than calling someone on the phone. Talking on the phone has always been nerve racking for me. Is that just me, or is it common for someone with Aspergers?
hey..me too. I don't like to talk on phone but i like to use facebook means i like to talk by writting only not by speaking..when i talk on phone i feel very unconfortable and always try to end the call



Jhomes
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28 Aug 2011, 11:54 am

SakiHeart wrote:
I don't mind writing to people, and while I don't love talking to people in person, it's so much less frightening than calling someone on the phone. Talking on the phone has always been nerve racking for me. Is that just me, or is it common for someone with Aspergers?
hey..me too. I don't like to talk on phone but i like to use facebook means i like to talk by writting only not by speaking..when i talk on phone i feel very unconfortable and always try to end the call



johnnydangerous
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28 Aug 2011, 12:37 pm

SakiHeart wrote:
I don't mind writing to people, and while I don't love talking to people in person, it's so much less frightening than calling someone on the phone. Talking on the phone has always been nerve racking for me. Is that just me, or is it common for someone with Aspergers?


Talking on the phone is the biggest problem I have, so you're not alone. I had to actually switch therapists because of this. She kept insisting I call her when I felt really bad, instead of emailing. I told her I was not comfortable on the phone but she insisted. I just had enough.

Talking to people in person for people with AS is like a normal person trying to get around in a wheelchair. We can do it, but it's harder. But talking on the phone is like taking me out of the wheelchair, and throwing me on the ground. You have NOTHING to go.

I just can't think of ways to keep any conversation going for very long on the phone. I mean, I guess I have with very few people. It's weird. Have to have just the right chemistry with someone to be able to talk at any length on the phone.

Texting has been great for me. It's also been my worst enemy. I'm very impulsive, so in this age of instant communication, when I got upset with in the past I just texted them how I felt. Often times, nasty messages. I've lost the few friendships I had over it.

If the text option was not available to me, I'd have had time to cool down (because I sure as hell wouldn't have called them). And then I'd still have those few friends. A lot of times the text I'd send them would snowball and before you know it, I'd have a meltdown.

So texting for me is a gift. But it's also a curse. It sucks. :(



Tuttle
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28 Aug 2011, 12:54 pm

Phones are evil. :(



ess173
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28 Aug 2011, 1:06 pm

i feel the same as well! hate it! text me anytime though



Manguy89
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28 Aug 2011, 2:41 pm

If it's an important phone call I'll just zone out for hours till my anxiety goes down just so I can dial the number and stair at the send button wishing I could press it



Ellytoad
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28 Aug 2011, 5:10 pm

I have trouble understanding half of what people are saying over the phone, since I can't see their faces. I have to guess as best as I can, and that makes me feel self-conscious. Asking them to repeat themselves is out of the question. I just want to get it all over with.

Also, the idea of calling someone is very discouraging. With emails, they can take their time to read it, but when calling, I am potentially bothering them. I hate feeling like I'm bothering someone!



trappedinhell
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28 Aug 2011, 6:17 pm

Add me to the list. Partly it's because phone calls are never good: if someone calls it's because they want something, or it's some official thing where they want to control your life or at least make it more complicated. Phone calls are never good.

Letters are better, but not by much. I sometimes leave letters for days before opening them. Like phone calls, they are always from people wanting something, or wanting to control you.



trappedinhell
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28 Aug 2011, 6:18 pm

Ellytoad wrote:
I hate feeling like I'm bothering someone!

Me too!



kt24
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29 Aug 2011, 9:11 am

I hate phones.
The only time I answer a phone is when I know who it is (family), and the only time I ring people except for family is when I really have to- as in sorting car insurance etc.
Last time I phoned the doctors, it took me 3 days to press dial. Why can't I book appointment online? So much easier.
I'd much rather text/email people, and my friends know this- they'll text me and ask if I'll ring them, rather than ringing me.

At work, I will NOT answer a phone or speak on a phone- told them I have a massive and irrational fear of phones, they took it as a joke, but at least I never have to speak on a phone!
One person who I told this to reckons it's not the phone itself, but the expectation to communicate with the person on the other end that is the problem.


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howzat
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29 Aug 2011, 10:22 am

I don't like talking on the phone either as i struggle to maintain a conversation.



Aimless
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29 Aug 2011, 10:35 am

I get nervous with official calls and tend to forget what I need to say. I don't like talking on the phone with people who call up and have nothing to say except to talk about mindless crap. I feel like I'm being held hostage.


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MyriaJean
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29 Aug 2011, 10:49 am

I don't mind talking on the phone with some of the people I'm close to (my mom, my sister, my best friend, one of my cousins). I hate it for anything else. I have auditory processing issues that make it difficult, and my anxiety over phone calls is too much to deal with.
I have to make a lot of calls for my daughter's appointments (doctors and therapists). I do not have the ability to make all the calls I need to - some of my student loans went into default because I couldn't deal with calling them, it's THAT bad.



n3v3rm0r3
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29 Aug 2011, 1:57 pm

I loathe talking on the phone! Unless it's someone I'm very close to it's almost impossible for me. I even order take out online. Just hearing my phone ring makes me anxious.