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Merculangelo
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29 Feb 2012, 12:25 pm

I recently made a recording of a conversation I had with a family member. During and after the conversation I was speaking normally, as normally as I feel in conversation. When I played the conversation back to myself I was genuinely astonished at how terrible my speech was, all broken up, starting and stopping and not finishing sentences, and tons of stuttering and saying "i mean" probably more than once per word, and strings of several "i mean"s in a row. It was an emotionally dense conversation, but I didn't sense at all that  these speech oddities were going on. 

This kind of changes the game a bit. Is this a pretty good indication that I probably talk this way most of the time, to not have been aware of it at all this time? If I talked this way when I was younger, someone would have put me in speech therapy. Why would it get worse as I get older? And what would a speech therapist do with me now? 



BTDT
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29 Feb 2012, 1:16 pm

It is likely that your speaking skills have declined from a lack of use. It can be a vicious cycle--you don't socialize as much so your speaking skills decline--and then you can't socialize because your speaking skills are so bad.

Speech therapy can certainly help--even as an adult. They can provide exercises to get your skills back in shape. But, you only get out of it what you put into it--it won't be much benefit unless you put in the time to practice.



Sweetleaf
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29 Feb 2012, 2:03 pm

Merculangelo wrote:
I recently made a recording of a conversation I had with a family member. During and after the conversation I was speaking normally, as normally as I feel in conversation. When I played the conversation back to myself I was genuinely astonished at how terrible my speech was, all broken up, starting and stopping and not finishing sentences, and tons of stuttering and saying "i mean" probably more than once per word, and strings of several "i mean"s in a row. It was an emotionally dense conversation, but I didn't sense at all that  these speech oddities were going on. 

This kind of changes the game a bit. Is this a pretty good indication that I probably talk this way most of the time, to not have been aware of it at all this time? If I talked this way when I was younger, someone would have put me in speech therapy. Why would it get worse as I get older? And what would a speech therapist do with me now? 


Yeah I have that issue as well, it frusterates me....I mean how can I expect to be taken seriously when I stop in the middle of sentences, go off track, sometimes I randomly laugh sort of like not hysterical laughing but like something noticeable enough for me to seem nervous or something. Also, sometimes I just feel like I can't get my thoughts out verbally and sometimes this comes with hand gestures as if I can some how pull the words out of the air or something.......I don't know its hard to explain.

But I guess sometimes I am able to be pretty clear because people have also commented on how intelligent I sound.


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pddgalore
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29 Feb 2012, 4:04 pm

If I could afford speech therapy I would. Insurance companies don't cover any of that stuff, at least mine doesn't.

I am considering practicing on my own, you know making little speech videos.
It's work , but I think it will help me in the long run.



Merculangelo
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29 Feb 2012, 6:52 pm

yeah, I'm pretty sure I can't afford speech therapy.

but I can't think of how just listening to myself screwing up over and over again could help me not screw up in real time. and there are some big real reasons I don't just join a group of people to talk more. duh, that's kind of why I'm diagnosed with aspergers.