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Logan5
Deinonychus
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07 Jan 2012, 6:55 pm

I know that people on the autistic spectrum vary in terms of how outgoing and talkative they are (i.e. in their level of introversion-extroversion). I also know what non-autistics talk about (e.g. music, sports, television shows, the weather, etc.). What I am curious about is what do talkative people who are on the autistic spectrum talk about? Do you just ramble on about your special interests and obsessions? (I am particularly interested in hearing from those of you who are in romantic relationships / long-term partnerships.)

I vaguely recall that when I was younger, I could be quite talkative at times, and I would try to be sociable. For a variety of reasons I have become very quiet and asocial with age. I am okay with this --I am not looking to change (and there are already threads about how to improve your conversation skills)-- I just have a hard time remembering what I used to talk about when I was younger. :?



IdahoRose
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07 Jan 2012, 7:23 pm

I mostly talk about my special interests and other things that pertain to my life, such as trivia I've learned from the Internet, how my cat behaved that day, and weird dreams that I've had (which I have almost every night, probably due to the medication I'm on).



mad_monkey
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07 Jan 2012, 7:27 pm

Random crud, and anything that goes with the flow of conversation
I enjoy talking about.my interests what ids and such



hartzofspace
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07 Jan 2012, 7:36 pm

I start off shy, but if anyone shows interest, I will monologue them to death. :oops: On any subject that happens to come up and then some.


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BuyerBeware
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07 Jan 2012, 7:40 pm

Anything other people are talking about, if I have something to contribute.

Religion, politics, gardening, environmentalism, self-reliance (all special interests).

Engineering (my hubby and half of my friends are engineers).

Kids, cats, dogs, birds, men (have to talk to NT chicks and my mother-in-law about something).

How people just aren't decent any more and the world is going to s**t in a shoebox (really endears me to the older generation).

I have often been told that I talk too damn much.

What would I rather be-- talkative and annoying, or quiet and resentful????


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musicislife
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07 Jan 2012, 9:29 pm

It really all depends. I don't usually speak up on my own without the conversation being about something that I either know about or am interested in.

On the other hand, with my boyfriend of 3 years, I will talk about anything and everything. We have a lot of conversations about nothing at all! I love to talk with him, because both of us can talk about the same things and not get lost in the conversation.


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UnderTheSea
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08 Jan 2012, 2:31 pm

I detest social 'chit chat.' I don't like it because I do not understand it and I can't effectively deploy it. It seems that social 'chit chat' requires a fairly high level of social awareness since it doesn't contain any meaningful content; and so, when I try to use it or respond to it, I typically appear very awkward. Hence, if possible, I avoid it. Since most conversations are based upon social 'chit chat', I don't talk much at all. When I was younger, at face value, I likely met the criteria for selective mutism.

On the other hand, when there is an opportunity for meaningful conversation, I tend to saturate the conversation with too much content. Unfortunately, I don't realize it until well after everyone else has departed the conversation. I find this aspect exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to control. And so, I'm often stuck between no contribution or excessive contribution.



Mummy_of_Peanut
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09 Jan 2012, 6:25 am

Anything at all, except chit-chat.

With my husband, we'll speak about politics, the goings-on in the world, what's wrong with the world, our daughter (which is probably the main thing we speak about these days), things we saw on TV, plans for the weekend or holidays or revamping rooms in the house, we might have a b***h about something that happened at his work, we seldom argue about anything.

I met my friends for the first time this year and we spoke about what we'd been doing over the holiday period. The 3 of us are never silent in the playground. I have to temper what I say a bit, as I know I can go on and on (I usually realise after the event, however).


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LittleBlackCat
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06 Feb 2012, 7:01 pm

Well I can join in a conversation on pretty much anything. But what I really enjoy is a good discussion on something - politics, the economy, psychology, religion, all the topics you're not supposed to talk about at dinner parties! It's probably why I tend to stick to just a few close friends (and my husband of course) most of the time, as they can put up with my rants and ramblings and still love me!



johnsmcjohn
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06 Feb 2012, 7:16 pm

I almost never make conversation but when I do, it needs to be about something I am interested in. Otherwise I zone out.



NicoleG
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06 Feb 2012, 8:26 pm

I love to talk about cognitive psychology and philosophy and food, and the list goes on and on. I also dislike chit-chat, but I've had to learn to perfect it for work. With a new female co-worker, I'm learning to tolerate her talking about her personal family matters, which I otherwise don't really have an interest in. The bank tellers I listen to talk about their gardens and families. Apparently I've learned how to ask just the right questions to get the person talking about themselves and then never shutting up. One teller talked my ear off for 30min and I felt rude after I left because of how I pretty much just cut her off and said I have to go and turned around and left. After not being able to find a "good stopping spot" I gave up and cut the whole thing off.

If I'm actually with friends, then we have more purposeful conversations. If there's a group of friends and the topic turns to something I don't have an interest in, I've learned how to politely excuse myself and find something else to do for a bit and then return hoping that I can rejoin a more interesting conversation. I've been at social gatherings where the conversation never turned towards a topic of interest and I was bored to tears and kept pretty quiet for the most part. I've also been at social gatherings where one person would hit a topic of interest and off I go chatting away.



1000Knives
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24 Feb 2012, 12:51 am

Cars.

Working out.

Japanese music.

Masonic conspiracies.

Christianity and religion in general.

Figure Skating.

Cooking.

Basically, someone can ask me about anything I've read about or took interest in and I'll ramble on for like ever and ever and ever and I won't shut up and then people think I'm weird.



mntn13
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24 Feb 2012, 12:52 pm

I have mostly stopped - except at my own house (health and food, the weather, art) at my own kids - after being very publicly shown by my brother's perfect nt trophy wife that I bother people and need to shut up.



ZX_SpectrumDisorder
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26 Feb 2012, 4:50 am

I find with new people, that they don't know what to talk to me about. I spend a lot of time putting people at ease, otherwise there'd be an awkward silence. I used to get very anxious (my heartrate would go crazy with adrenaline) in this situation and it made me feel paranoid, and would blab and dominate converation. It's taken me until now to realise that awkward silences are normal and not to panic.
I'd just have trouble starting conversation as it feels weirdly forced. I didn't know what Asperger's was for a very long time. I've only began seeking a diagnosis recently and didn't know this was the issue. I'm a lot more chilled out now. I've been dating a bit recently and first dates would normally fill me with dread, but now I feel a strange sense of serenity. I think maybe a late diagnosis is a good thing, if I'm honest. I've been forced to learn to cope in social situations. I feel that if I was diagnosed in my teens, I may have been more withdrawn.



PiriReis
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29 Feb 2012, 4:29 am

I can talk about almost anything, but I usually let the person I am talking to decide and take the lead. So people who are generally talkative may not notice my aspieness, since I can, I guess, keep the ball in play. As someone mentioned above, those little silences can be killer though! Interestingly, since my diagnosis, I have been talking much less and have been much more self conscious of my words. Has this self perception made anyone else pause?


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PiriReis
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29 Feb 2012, 4:33 am

Oops! The "person above" really was the person above- sorry zx!


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