Hard to hear what people are saying over loud music

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Ahh, yes, this explains my latest worry. I have noticed more and more lately that I can't make out what people are saying to me, but when I think about it, it has always been some sort of background noise when it happens. I know my hearing is ok, since I notice weird sounds with the car before anyone else does. I can hear the difference between a left turn and a right turn when it comes to the sound the wheels make depending on the pressure they get from the car.

I can hear people ok, but I just can't process the sounds into what it's suppose to mean. I guess it can best be described as I can hear them, but it's hard to listen when there is background noise.

I have this problem when at nightclubs or pubs, though I rarely go out. Not only is it difficult to understand conversation but the music is generally so loud it causes me discomfort.

I find phone conversations worse, when background noise is present I can't focus at all.

Ahh, yes, thats true, I instinctivly go to a silent room, if I have the opportunity, when I am in a phonecall that I know will last more than 30 seconds.

I find I go almost mute when music is loud because I don't like speaking when I can't hear what I'm saying, as well as the fact that I wouldn't be able to hear the reply from the other person. If I'm wearing headphones, they come off as soon as I see someone talking to me, and I never have the volume up very loud. I don't understand how people can have a conversation with someone while they have headphones on or earphones in.

The funny thing is that I can hardly hear what is being sung in a particular song.

I've never had problems hearing and understanding what people say, but when it is a song, I can hardly recognize the words. Now, if I read the lyrics from somewhere, I gradually start hearing the words... but not until then.

My attention on what people say to me used to be very poor for a lot of the time, and still can be. But it's not completely down to loud background music or other sounds. Background sounds of some kinds (unpredictable, loud, sudden, percussive, strident, out of my control, associated with people or things I dislike) shatter my concentration, so it's not just what people are saying I can't decode, it's my own thoughts. I don't know why I've got better. Possibly knowing that it's to do with AS has given me the confidence to try screening some of these distractions out......before I knew what was doing it, I feared I may be going down with dementia, losing my grip, so now I know about Aspie attention problems, I can relax more when it happens. I think I'm generally more relaxed these days, as I'm now economically independent (still have a job but don't need it), and the Aspie-unfriendly pressure at work has been reduced (though I still get subjected to unacceptable background noises at random..... it's still infuriating, even though I'm working for somebody else who can't easily make the blame stick to me if the noise slows me down.

I also don't like myself for disliking the people who make those noises. They're at it right now. So immature, silly little half-whispered things, then suddenly a loud guffaw, one of them keeps making a clicking noise with a pen or something, they're basically doing low-level flirting, though when the guy's alone he has to amuse himself with stupid Internet noises through his open-back earphones that make a horrible ticky sound all the time. I could have written this post in 5 minutes if they'd stayed home today. As it is, it's 4 times that long, so 3/4 of my time is spent doing nothing more than feeling disrespect for those people.

Yes. I have always had trouble seperating voices from the background noise. I find that watching mouths helps a bit. My parents had my hearing tested when I was a child it was such an issue. My hearing was above average. If I go to a club where it is really loud it is actually less of an issue. No one is really havign a conversation in a loud night club, they are all drunk and only think they are talking to each other. There is no expectation that anyone can actually hear each other or have a real conversation. Especially after a few drinks.

I'm wondering if anyone else has trouble with things like CB Radio or an intercom.

Actually this reminds me of a job back in High School I was fired from doing minor fixes on Bowling Machines. Usually the ball or the pins just got stuck. But the workers hung out in a office behind the machines so you can imagine there was a lot of background noise. Then the worker was expected to hear a trouble call on the intercom to fix a ball return or pin setter.

I was told I was to slow fixing the machines but thinking about it again I wonder if I didn't even hear the call the first time.

Yeah, I usually have to leave the room or plug my other ear to listen to the call.

So much common experience with OP and other posters.

I suspect a link.

For me it's any noise, even other people talking. I'm also attracted to motion so if I see something move in my peripheral vision I will immediately switch focus to it and miss what a person is saying. I had to drop a class in college because it was held in the math lab room and every seat has a computer. Many people were taking notes on a computer after the 2nd day of class and my attention would bounce all over the room because of the keyboard clicking. I got absolutely nothing from the lectures. white board, or power point slides after that 2nd day, I mean ZERO. From the 1st day when there were no keyboards I remember everything. I can still see (in my head) a number, and most other details, written on the white board on the 1st day of class 9780716743613. For me it's an attention focus problem as much as it is a filtration problem.

Yup, if there is any background noise what soever I find it incredibly difficult to process another person speaking to me, in a pub this becomes utterly impossible. Hardcore clubs I quite like because the music is so loud that nobody else can hear anyone either so everyone else just necks the ecstasy and concentrate on dancing instead.

yep that happens to me a lot.

I thought it was my hearing too (I was in a high school rock band, and an 18th century artillery crew), but I always hear the mail truck come before everyone else.

I have the same issue filtering loud background music and my father had this with any background noise. However, if I'm focused on a conversation I'm having and there's a sudden noise like a motorbike passing, or fireworks in the distance, I don't get distracted from the conversation as it happens to most other people. This intense focus on 1 thing to the exclusion of all others is also an autistic trait.

I do believe that Central Auditory Processing Disorder is common among Aspies.

I was once accused of going deaf by an ex. I went to have my hearing tested and actually, it's better than what would be expected for my age. That's how I stumbled across CAPD.

I know... a very bad thing. Recently I spent much of an evening with a girl stuck to me and I had no idea of half of what she was saying because of the music playing. I had to pretend I knew what she was saying often when I did not know.