Do you watch a person's lips while they talk?

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I keep noticing that I watch people's lips while they are speaking. It seems to be what I focus on the most.

I was just watching a Temple Grandin video where she talks about autistic people doing this because they can't hear well. I don't know if it actually helps me to understand what people are saying or not. I certainly can't read lips without any sound. I've tried it by putting the tv on mute. But maybe when I can actually hear the person speaking, it helps me to process the sound. It seems like I don't hear as well when I can't see the other person's face.

I wonder what people think if they notice I am watching their mouth while they talk. Could this have anything to do with men getting the idea I'm flirting with them?

Judging by how often I've been told "My eyes are up here", the answer is "no".

It helps me to concentrate on what the person is saying .

This is pretty common in AS. It's not that people with AS have bad hearing, it's the processing of speech that's the problem. Have you ever been actively listening to someone but what they're saying makes absolutely no sense and might as well be a foreign language? Happens to me all the time when there is background noise and I already know it happens to many of you. This is why ASD people focus on the mouth, not to read lips but to confirm what they are hearing.

No I can't look at the person's face at all.

Yeah this happens to me all the time. It sounds to me like people are mumbling or just speaking gibberish.

YES! YES! YES! I do this all the time when others are talking! I am not hard of hearing, although it has declined a little from being exposed to loud, blaring music at major family functions a number of times years ago. I had to drive my mother to these functions as she no longer drove. She passed away 8 1/2 years ago, so now I no longer have to go to these loud events. However, I can still hear well enough, but even before I lost a little of my hearing, I did this--for my entire life. I am better able to process what I hear when I can see people speaking. I am definitely a more visual type person where input is concerned. I can usually handle phone conversations okay, but I am able to focus more on the sound then, as there are usually fewer distractions then.

I think we on the spectrum have a number of processing issues. some are more physical-medical, and some appear to be psychological. However, I think at least some of the psychological ones are neurological in basis, so that comes back to a physical-medical cause.

I know that there are researchers looking into the causes of spectrum conditions, and some progress has been made, but it really doesn't help fix anything. I hope that eventually changes, but for us older ones, simply fixing the causes won't leave us knowing how, and able, to function in the NT world. Still, I hope help does come for my younger spectrum mates.

Remember, we on the spectrum are all:

A Different Drummer

If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
Perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music which he hears,
However measured or far away.

--Henry David Thoreau

Agreed, though usually I have to look at something else, not the person themselves to understand what's going on, since I can't really focus on the words and the face at the same time. But sometimes the lips help too.
I've had processing issues all my life, I would hear the beginning of a sentence, process it while somebody said the middle, and hear the end. Definitely confusing, especially for a kid. My mom spoke fast and loud too, which helped in the long run to get me to understand most of what she says, but it definitely made it a struggle as a kid.

I tend to stare and whatever part of that person I find most attractive.

It gets me in trouble a lot.

I notice myself watching people's mouths a lot, too. I think it helps me understand if I can "see" what the person is talking about, and it is much less intimidating than making eye contact.

Due to both auditory processing as well as physical hearng problems, I watch lips a lot to keep up with conversations where there's any background noise.

That's easy to fix: go to an arts and crafts store and buy a bag of google eyes to keep in your pocket. Then ask her to put them on her shirt or her back pockets.

I do sometimes. It's not that I can't hear the person, it's that I can't understand the words. I finally realized that after I got my diagnosis.

I used to look at people's shoes or at the floor next to them, but then I realized that they thought I was staring at their crotch. Now I look at the wall next to people's heads. Sometimes I see one of their ears in my peripheral vision, and I look a bit further away. I've never focused on anybody's mouth.

I also tried making eye contact for a while because people seemed to expect that, but my permanent staring freaked them out even more (and myself too). I couldn't figure out how often and how long I should make eye contact and eventually gave up trying.

I watch people's mouths. It helps me to see what they are saying, and it help me to process better their words in my brain. Sometimes I can read lips without the sound because of this, but it depends on what phenomes are being 'said,' as certain lip movements look the same for differant vowls/consenents.

I don't look at the person when i'm talking to them. I'll quickly glance at them so they know i'm actually talking/listening to them.

If i look in their eyes, i will be thinking "Has it been too long? How long do you look in someone's eyes before it's 'creepy'". These questions are racing through my head and i don't even hear what they have been saying to me.

Same with the face, if they are talking and i notice an odd facial expression, then i will have a little 'time-out' of the conversation trying to work out what it means. Which again means that i miss out what they have just said.

So i just don't look! It works for me.

is that what that is?! i'd always thought my hearing was crap. peoples sentences would always sound like "glab ridg houk nwen". especially in crowds. that is why i started looking at lips. it helped me untangle peoples words so they made sense. it is awkward to make eye contact with lips at close quarters though because they can tell.