On the other hand, how many of you are fast?

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I've read a lot of threads which talk about slower processing speeds overall. Are there others who seem to process things lightning-fast?

Sometimes it takes me a bit to process conversations or the gestalt, but information processing, for me, has always been close to immediate. People dislike playing Jeopardy with me, as I can read the question faster than Alex Trebek can say it, so I usually know the answer well before it's been read. I have a fast metabolism even though I'm 30 (everyone warned me "oh, your metabolism will slow down with age!" but so far, it hasn't) and I'm just generally "quick," with thoughts and physical actions.

How about you all? Are there any other speedy folks here?

(I'm waiting to hear back about getting a proper dx at a place that specializes in ASD in kids and adults.)

I'm quite fast at processing certain things. Sometimes I look at large blobs of information like text or a room of people as a cloud and feel the information out of it.

Quite fast, once I've gotten past the initial startup phase in transitioning to a new task. Similar to Moog, I can go through a book and not only find text and pictures, but locate stuff that is conceptually a "close match."

Well that's the odd part isn't it, I'm very quick minded about a lot of things, I'm also good at physically repetative tasks and fine motor skills. My quick mind gets bogged down by not knowing how to time my response with others so I stay silent, it also stops on things that seem so easy I don't know how I can't know it.

It's that strange combination of effortlessy doing things that make people think I'm very smart, and having to puzzle out left and right every time.

Haha this one made me laugh

This is interesting, thanks.

After I made this thread, my husband informed me that I *think* I'm much faster in conversation than I am. "You're quick witted and can read fast, but you get bogged down on all the details and what-ifs, and it takes you forever to figure out what I'm saying."

: ( The Dunning–Kruger effect strikes again!

Yes I can do things fast. If its a task like a special interest I can really go fast. But also if its a boring work task I will do it fast (and thorough of course) so I can get it out of the way. I get slow when something is new and unfamiliar. If its new and boring then I stop.

I'm like lightning when it comes to knowledge recall, like exams or trivia games. I know instantly whether or not I know the answer, no amount of thinking will give me an answer I wasn't immediately aware of.

On the other hand, putting info in my supercomputer brain can be a bit slow. I love reading but do it quite slowly and sometimes I have to read things several times before it registers.

I'm also quite slow at responding in an argument that isn't about facts. I excel at winning arguments with people like tax inspectors or immigration officers but struggle to form a response if say my sister is having a go at me for some perceived failure.

Really? That's how I do it. If I took the time to think all the details out, it would take 20x the time and energy.

Reading and scanning texts is easy for me. I can do it really fast, where others seem to read forever I am already done.

But it could be coupled with my tendency to remember the strangest bits of information and recognizing things.

when i'm not on ritalin i'll read the same paragraph over several times and still can't get my brain to understand what i just read. however when i take my ritalin i can read rather well. what's cool though is i that i've realized that i can read words just as good, if not quicker, if they are upside down or reversed.
as far as coordnation goes, mine stinks. but my reflexes are excellent. in school i would look and play like a spaz in most sports except dodgeball where none could hit me. plus my reflexes has saved my life a few times.

ha! ditto on the superfast information processing.

The closest description I have read about this was a chapter in a book about ASD. It described hyperconnectivity, where the person's mind generates almost instantaneous links to all other associated information in their brain. This is great for information processing, but not so great for social conversations, as the mind shoots off in all directions and not many of those directions will be relevant to the situation.


I find it interesting to observe the internal processes of thought.
Sometimes I can almost percieve my mind working. This is often connected to a physical process, for example when I move my eyes from side to side I am scrolling through images in my mind. Other times I can feel my thoughts moving in different parts of my brain, as a pressure sensation. The thoughts move through multiple associative areas, and various bits of sense pop out. If I am presented with an idea or question, I observe this movement and the answer appears. If the answer does not appear, I definitely do not have the information.

I used to think that this was totally flaky and weird, but I am a psychologist-certified sane person



Also ditto the hyperactive body thing. It seems that the more activity I do, the more energy I have. ARGGGHHH.
I eat like an elephant and don't get any fatter (is this intestinal worms or a high metabolism?) lol!

I'm very fast on good days. Sometimes I correctly answer someone's question before they're done speaking and they stare at me.

Yeah Ritalin makes me process things faster. Even become physically faster.
Dishes done in 5 minutes rather than 50 mins when off meds.
I've noticed I can follow conversations more and notice details around me that I didn't before.

Same here. I'm very fast with a joke or an observation and can call up things I already know very quickly. Thinking on my feet makes up for the fact that I don't anticipate well at all. Chess or even checkers is very difficult for me because I can never figure out an opponent's move. Pretty embarrasing for a guy who prides himself on usually being the smartest one in the room. My typical response to losing a game like that is "Wanna play Trivial Pursuit?"
To an outsider it looks like I'm planning ahead but I'm really just compensating and reacting very quickly. To me it's like when you see a large flock of small birds flying around- they seem to all turn at once by instinct, but if you were to watch them in slow-motion there is actually a leader bird and the others are following.
Does that make sense to anyone else?

Yes I can think and work pretty quickly sometimes. I think it's only the complexity of some situations that slows me down - the way the remit rapidly changes, and the uncertainty. If it's clear what I've got to do, whether it's physical or mental (usually it's a bit of both), I can overtake a lot of people. When focussed, I seem to instinctively avoid time-wasting detours and inefficient paths......I like cutting corners. Repeated tasks get faster and faster, as long as nobody sticks their oar into my game.