Extreme forgetfulness

Post Reply New Topic

i've tried so many diffrent ways to keep my memory going in the right direction, but generally they all...er, whats this thread about again?

Yes, I believe it is an Aspie thing.

My short-term memory is poor, and I'm even terrible about doing things to compensate. I rarely make lists or write notes, even though I should. I forget so much. I HAVE to write notes about my daughter's medications, and put them in conspicuous places. That is one thing I cannot forget. I am also terrible with time management.

I forget some things, but others I remember quite easy. Too easy. I can never remember phone numbers, when its only like, is it ten? numbers. Yet I remember entire cartoon episodes, even entire series, and places. I also have a hard time remembering which name goes with which person.

No, this is not an Aspie thing, because I was always told that Aspies have good memory. If you forget things a lot, you're more than likely have some symptoms of Dispraxia - which I was diagnosed with last month, after a whole childhood of apparently ''having Aspergers''.
The most thing I forget is numbers. This is really annoying. Here's some examples:-

When I'm going to buy a pot of pasta and a tub of fruit in the supermarket, I always check the date on the packaging, but as soon as I turn away I forget what date I've just read.
Also, I look at my watch when standing at the bus stop and I immediately forget what the time is, so I look again more carefully.
Also, when I'm putting something in the microwave, I always forget how many minutes it said to put it in for, so I have to look again and again.

Bloody numbers - they play tricks on me!

Also, at work, if I buy a drink and put it in the fridge, I will more than likely go home and forget it (this is a big NT thing aswell!) But it's annoying because I will be half way to the bus station and stop in my tracks when I suddenly realise that I've forgotten something.

I hope I'm not getting Altzheimer's!

me too. except i can never remember places, only visually. im ok at numbers but really awful at names. but other things i remember perfectly. i think some people think i do it on purpose, because it does make me look a little dumb sometimes

For me, its not that I have a bad memory (I actually have an excellent memory), its that I become so completely consumed by whatever I'm doing that I lose sight of everything else. I carry a small notebook with me everywhere I go to combat it.

You sure it's not secretary dysfunction?

Because if I don't write something down, it's GONE, unless it's something I am deeply interested in. At work, I have a calendar, yes, but I live off of a little .txt file called "admin list" or something like that (sad...I look at it every day and I can't remember the name!), where I jot down everything that pops into my head that I might need later.

This is why I have NO doubt that I have SOMETHING. I am VERY ADHD--give it even a little bit of time and my mind is off onto something else. Whether that's the whole story or not, I don't know, but I very much have a secretary dysfunction (TM).

(Edit: You wouldn't believe how many times I edit my posts because I see something that I forgot!)

Maybe lack-of-secretary dysfunction would be a better name.

If it weren't for PDA's I'd be buried alive under a pile of half- and un-completed tasks.

I change the channel with the remote controll then go get a drink of water then to the bathroom. When I get back I would have to spend at least 15 minutes to look for the tv remote. I loose shoes, books, tools, pens, and anything not duct taped to my hand. I also forget words mid sentance or when I am writing.

Last edited by Todesking on 06 Jul 2010, 11:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

like mentioned, it doesen't have to be due to poor memory. I rarely 'forget' appointments myself, it's just not always my highest priority to be aware of them, even though I should be. I forget where I put things. This is because I have something else on my mind and the sensory input from my eyes/ears is being stored in my brain but it doesen't come to my attention. Because of this I have to go trough my sensory inputs and thought process to remember. As for most aspies theres nothing wrong with my memory, in fact I have both an excellent visual, auditive, short-term and long term memory but I always have alot on my mind and I'm not very aware of my surroundings.

I think I HAVE a secretary--she just tends to check in and out at odd hours, and plays games for half her working hours, and listens to loud music at almost ALL hours.

Anyway, back to our regularly-scheduled program...I do hope to get some good tips here.

I also agree that it is related to the lack of "executive functioning".
I have a good memory, but completely terrible planning skills.
I also hate writing things down. Which means when I don't feel like writing things down, not a lot gets done.
If I'm not currently thinking about something, it tends to completely escape my mind. But then later I can recall in detail what I was "supposed to do".

At least writing comes naturally.

<ramble>

I have no real proof of it, but I truly believe that although very good (and excessive) speech came afterwards, that when you get down to it written English is my native language over and above the spoken kind. I was taught very early to read by my mother--at age 2 I would still echo back her question as though it were my statement, among other verbal oddities, and she came to the conclusion (which, the more I learn about some of the sensory processing difficulties that go on with ADHD and ASDs, I think she was right) that I was literally not hearing or processing language even though I could repeat back--I couldn't break down sentences into their parts.

Yet reading for some reason was the only thing that would hold me still. Once she started teaching me how to read (which she started very early to make sure I acquired language), I started understanding and speaking properly.

Literally EVERYTHING I hear, my mind must translate into written words--it does this automatically for the most part, but when I cannot "read" the words in my mind's eye, I lose comprehension. When I think, my inner "voice" is more like a teleprompter...there IS a faint voice, though it's more a sense of moving my lips and feeling the words in my throat than it is a true voice.

</ramble>

What I hate is thinking of something in the car when I can't write it down. If I can't get that thought recorded, then I am in great danger of losing it. For people who are very dependent on the written word, what do you do in those kinds of situations?

It's definitely a me thing. I have a brilliant memory for facts and information, and an abysmal memory for things that I have to do.

I am extremely forgetful, and I'm totally oblivious to my surroundings. For example: a couple of years ago, my dad bought my mom a bunch of flowers for Mother's Day. A week later, I asked her where the flowers came from. I also forget to take my medication even though I've been taking it at the same time every day for 5 years. My mom brought these things up to my psychiatrist, and he said that I simply don't pay attention to or remember things that don't relate to my interests.

I'm glad I found this thread. I was just about to post something similar.

I'm always reading about the 'superior memory' of Aspies. My horrendous memory is one of the things that has kept me from really being sold on the idea that I have AS.