Do you find a certain kind of question difficult to answer?

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I have found that if I'm asked questions in a certain way, I find them almost impossible to answer.

If I do something wrong, and somebody asks me 'Why did you do X?', or 'Why didn't you do Y?', I find this kind of question difficult. I get this regardless of how well I know the process which led to such an action/inaction.

Also, something I've noticed through comparison of my posts here against conversations/posts elsewhere:

Here, the discussions mostly already exist. Somebody makes a post about a particular trait/experience, and others come to post their own experiences. I have recognized a lot of traits here that are overtly present in myself.

However, when faced with the direct question 'What do you see in yourself that makes you think you have Asperger's?', I struggle severely. It's a direct question, to which I know the answer(s), but I still can't answer it.

I can easily pick all applicable answers from a list, but to provide those same answers without the list is tough.

Does anyone else have this difficulty?

I find that any question face to face with someone, that sort of puts me on the spot, is nearly impossible to answer. I believe this is partly why I rely on others to answer the phone and to make phone calls for me. I have no problems phoning a person I'm already comfortable with.

I'm sure it's maybe an anxiety for you. When someone asks you why you think you have Aspergers, it can feel like you suddenly need to dig through a pile of information in your brain. Then you have to prioritize all the things to make you think it IS Aspergers, so that whomever asked you gets the clearest idea of what you're relaying. Checklists are much easier, you see the symptom - you check it. At worst you have to choose between Agree Strongly, Agree, Sometimes, Disagree and Strongly Disagree. Either way, you're direction is illustrated for you.

Does that make any sense?

Is this included as executive dysfunction?? Anyone?

Oh yeah... being directly asked questions about things I know well but to which I'd have to list a lot of things or explain a huge context, I usually can't answer. Not at all.

I have it all in my head right the moment when I'm being questioned, but I cannot convert what is on my mind to language and speech.

Speech is a like a mono channel through which only one piece of information at a time can be conveyed.

But what is in my mind is a lot more than just 1 piece of information. I have the whole thing right now in front on my mind ready to be given to the other in some form. It feels as if there are hundreds of things on my mind!

But I neither know what to say 1st nor do I want to randomly pick or can work out what to say 1st because it might lead the other to the wrong conclusion. But most importantly, I cannot think about what to say 1st because if I do, I will forget the other hundreds of things I just thought of.

And that kinda reminds me of why I seem to have ADHD.

Masses of information right there successfully and impulsively intruding on my mind which should be a good thing, really, but dare I say I will forget it all if I'm talked to again or think of something or if it's just a few seconds passing.

Alternatively, I may have learnt a list or anything by heart and cannot remember the whole load of what I learnt by heart when I'm asked to tell because I'm just kind of distracted by... everything.

Yes.

Sometimes someone will ask me something and I'll get stuck answering it, but then someone else will ask the same thing in a different way and I'll give a good reply.

My dreaded question: "What will you feel if it turns out you aren't on the spectrum?" My answer, same as almost always, "I don't know." (That answer drives my mum insane.)

Real answer, "Damn pissed off." But it's all a moot point anyway, cos I KNOW I'm on the spectrum.

I often have trouble answering questions from social workers and other adults trying to suss out my mental state, cos I know that they don't understand, and anything I say will be misconstrued and used against me (that's what the police should say, LOL).

Its hard to say - I find your question difficult to answer.

why u get meltdowns?

The "How you doin' today?" question.

I'm not even sure if I should answer. It just rolls off peoples' tongues so casually.

I normally say I'm fine, even when I'm not. Not lying, because the only time I won't be fine is when I'm dying.

Everything is intact, I'm not about to explode or suffocate. I'm fine. 5 by 5.

It is a question about health, after all. It used to be 'I hope you are well'.

My difficulties come when there's a lot of correct answers. I only want to give one. 'What do you like doing?' is another one that gets me.

Also, people tend to walk off on me after they've asked what I did at a certain time. Like 'what did you get up to today?' If I did a lot, I'd have a lot to say, but it seems like the question wasn't intended to be answered thoroughly.

((((hugs))))

~Loving Light~

I have the same reaction to questions asked in a certain way as well. Even if I have a pretty good understanding of a certain topic, I sometimes find the thoughts that were once alive and well in my mind just moments before the question was asked have suddenly vanished. Getting words from my brain to my mouth can be quite a Herculean chore.

Hmm. I'm not sure. So ironically, I guess I find this question difficult to answer.

I definitely struggle with certain kinds of questions.

My Ex-husband came to pick up the kids and asked me if they are hungry. I'm like, "How would I know? Just ask them!" And he got all pissed and asked me if they ate lunch. I said, "Yeah, they had turkey sandwiches at 11:30."

My ex is damn near impossible to talk to. I keep asking him if he wants to change the custody schedule, because I'm submitting it to court, and he won't give me a straight answer.