Speech/language declining - how to know?

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How would I know if my speech/language has actually gotten worse?

I do not mean that it got less "okay" because of a period of acute stress or because of taking it easier to focus on other things. I am talking about my ability somehow having gotten less for some weird reason.

This is the first time this possibility occurs to me. I'm not sure it's a realistic possibility but I have read of actual skills declining slowly without a recovery (or those skills getting lost altogether) for others on the spectrum and now the possibility it happens to me was brought to my attention.

Until now, I was pretty certain that my language and with it my speech haven't changed much but that it only looked like it because I am talking more nowadays.

Explanation: until my diagnosis, I always felt as if I was already talking a lot (compared to how little I responded before 7th grade when "I'm home" and "good night" were "a lot of talking" for a day) but since 2007/2008, I gradually came to speak some more socially.

For the past 2-3 years, I have become even more involved socially with peers, joking around, commenting on their relationship drama here and there and just paying attention and trying to participate in conversations, trying to answer all questions addressed to me (albeit to the outside, it's still regularly stupid "as-if-you're-not-here-with-us" when I am perfectly aware, thankyouverymuch). The progress is pretty good so far, I like it!

However, for those very past 2-3 years, I have noticed that my formerly estimated "good expressive and receptive language skills" (which were declared as such several times upon and after my diagnosis of AS) seem to be impaired. Getting worse, maybe.

My ability to fluently talk by recounting phrases, (long) sentences or recombining parts of sentences that I've memorised in a mere seconds a few minutes or even months before remains unchanged.

What became more obvious with time passing is that concerning spontaneous speech, I struggle with producing language when I want to, that for some reason I am mixing up articles (of which there are a couple in German) and pronouns very frequently/almost, that for some reason I get singular and plural wrong (edit: and so many more things from sentences structure wrong to words morphing, words being cut of mid-word because I can't produce another sound or suddenly not being able to say anything when minutes before I had been able to talk) and that I subvocalise questions or echo them back out loud to figure out their meaning. I also talk in, like, 1/2-sentences a freakin lot when I am with peers, joining in conversations and spontaneously commenting as opposed to preparing a sentence or several more in my thoughts prior to retelling it out loud.

If in response of what I'm about to cook I want to burst out saying "I want to cook rice" I usually end up with something along the lines of "cook rice. I will now." then giving it a split second of thought "I want to cook rice." though I also might end up with something more hilarious than that. I think today's highlight was a couple of fluent sentences followed by the (admittedly equally fluent) exclamation "I pick up lunch... during that call, I would!" hehe, people cracked up.

Basically, I realise that it is possible that my speech/language have gotten worse for some mysterious autistic reason. But I've never been talking nearly as much and as spontaneously before in my life either.

Any thoughts on how I'd know what is going on?

Do you have a doctor who could do a basic test on you? If you had scores from before, you could compare them and see if you're losing skill. If not, then you could do one now, and see whether you're still having that same pattern in six months or a year. If you are, then you can talk about what might be happening--stress? regression? are you using your brain for something else, and dropping some of the speech to compensate? Whatever. For that matter, having to maintain your recent high level of speech ability might have been wearing you out, and you could only sustain it so long--so you drop down to your baseline. I don't think you'd be losing speech altogether; it's more likely that you'll stop pushing yourself so hard and go back to a more simple style.

Maybe your brain is tired of language in general. My brain is pretty tired of it too.

Given that you are apparently so good at a foreign language I wouldn't be surprised if Callista would be right at this matter (again).

Mixing up plural and singular and doing similarly simple grammar mistakes is an issue for me too, but more with English than my own.

Thank you so much! I haven't forgotten about your answers.

You were right about the exhaustion and a lot happened since last year.

I had been going to ASD therapy for about 5 years but I won't be going anymore. Your replies helped a little with my decision.

My former therapist and other ASD specialists didn't take me serious about the language/speech at all. Because they said that I have extremely "HF AS", they kept pushing me and said that I must be able to do all kinds of things. I slept less to be able to practise more.

And whenever I talked about that I can't drive or struggle to dress myself quickly or that I get called out for running onto the street (when I want to cross one) they wouldn't allow me to talk about it. I got worried about my language skills and speech, I also got worried about biting myself and picking on my fingers (bloody, painful) in order to suppress stims but they just said stuff like "uh-huh" and that I should stop it. When I explained that it's because so stims like flapping or swaying rhythmically they smiled toothily when they said that they tried to imagine me doing that.

They never helped me with the head-banging either, saying it is because of an emotional bottle-up metaphorthing. I'm sure that was dead wrong. My parent, a friend and me figured it out, bought a new blanket and a couple of tighter fitting clothes for me and we're all more mindful of noises. Result? No head-banging as to date which is awesome.

My therapist treated me as if I was lying about the speech and language. On another forum for AS someone also got really irritated with me and acted as if I was making it up because my writing is better.

It could be a German thing but an autistic adult without an intellectual disability who has difficulties with speech and language seems to be so rare that it's unlikely such a person has autism. Adults grow out of early language impairments or so.

I am most curious about what the university hospital is going to make of me. Worst they can do is claim that of course AS includes early language issues and diagnose me with it again.

Anyway, my speech and language didn't get worse as far as I can tell. I couldn't get it tested because the specialists wouldn't take me seriously.

On the upside, I enjoy writing and even some talking a lot more. Sure, my speech gets corrected a lot but I don't mind, better be talking than not able to talk. I feel better knowing that I now have my mobile phone or tablet for emergencies when I can't talk or can't talk enough.

It can be awkward at university and outright problematic when I try to talk but happen to struggle to or when I'm supposed to do a presentation but I won't let that get me down. The time I spent practising talking fluently before I know spent studying which sure is the more sensible activity.

I'm also so happy to finally be able to have free-time again. I forgot how awesome it is not to practise something or other.


Oh and I'm writing on my IPAD which is spelling-challenged. Please bear with it.