Oh the irony!

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So I found the most perfect situation imaginable for me - I want to get a professional diagnosis, but I do not want it on my record. And I found an opportunity for just that. I have signed up for a research study that provides a complete ASD diagnostic assessment among other tests. I will receive the results, but it will be for the study only and not go into my medical records. AND I would get paid for it!

However.... there is one major flaw.

To participate in the study, I am required to do a 40 minute phone interview.

My entire life I've had a rather severe phone phobia, and IIRC this is common problem among people on the spectrum. So to be declared officially AS.... I have to do something that having AS would normally prevent me from accomplishing! I wonder if this is part of the test, how you react to the phone? If not, I want to find out if there's some way to get out of that. An interview online would be ideal. But.... yikes. I'm not sure if I can do this.

How severe? Do you hyperventilate, or lose your functioning?

Would doing something to help you stay calm beforehand work?

I used to have a complete breakdown when even just asked to make a phone call. Now it's not quite so bad, but I avoid it whenever possible. I'll sometimes panic while on the phone and freeze up, and will be unable to say anything. Or start mumbling or stuttering, or talk way too fast.

Woo Hoo! Good for you. Hope it all goes well for you Sati.

such a bad luck! I also have phonephobia and understand how frustrating this must feel. Hope they can agree to do it either online or in person instead of the phone - of find yourself a gooooood excuse on not doing it on the phone...*whatever that can be for somebody not undertanding if not beeing totally honest*

That's another one of those things the majority of us share, and yet it isn't on the diagnostic criteria.

I DO NOT answer phone calls. I let them go to VM, even if someone close to me is calling. I call them back on my own schedule if I like them and feel comfortable around them. If not, I send them an e-mail reply.

Text communication is the best thing ever. Sati, ask them if they can interview you in a chat room or something. They will probably say no but it won't hurt to ask.

One of the telephone problems that's common on the spectrum is that thing where you talk at the same time as the other person, NTs generally don't do this, they could be testing for that or something similar.

It could be tough but you only have to do it once and the person you're talking to will surely be sympathetic to you at least they'll know about your ASD

I have AS and I LOVE the phone. I love talking on the phone! Talking on the phone was a special interest of mine for a while and I was able to keep people on the phone much longer than anyone else I knew. I once talked to the same person on the phone for eight hours straight. In person, I am pretty much a zero but on the phone people are shocked at how different I am. Others have noted it's like I am two different people the "in person" me and the "phone" me. They say, "she's so quiet in person but on the phone she won't shut up! It's almost like she has two different personalities!"
Others have told me it's like I have an adult personality and a child personality as well. (although I don't black out and have weird fugues like someone who has DID) It's easier to talk to people when you don't have to look at anyone or you can stare at your favorite picture while talking away(which is one reason I really loved talking on the phone. I would pretend like I was talking to the person in my favorite photo instead of the person on the other end which was one of the reasons why I could talk so long. It was more like make believe than reality but I was funny and could make people laugh) Who says Aspies have phone phobias? I have an in person phobia and the phone is like my salvation. I discovered I could communicate easily and by pass all the awkwardness and distraction of face to face conversations. This is really surprising. I thought those on the spectrum would find the phone less intimidating.
If I were you, I would try the interview and see what happens. You can tell them you feel uncomfortable talking on the phone or have a phobia, whichever you choose, and see what they say.

I am on the phones 7.75 hours a day 38.75 hours a week and get paid for it. It's like I have my own call in talk show every day. I have no cell phone, no home phone and rarely use my Skype headset to talk to Lau in England. When I come home, I don't say a word except for meowing to my cat from time to time. This last three day weekend I didn't talk to a soul till I was back at work again.

People on the phone are forced into my world, no facial expressions, no body language, forced to use words and explain what it is they want to me. I love it.

but if I have to use a regular phone I seem to yell into it, (because I can't hear myself back thorugh the receiver, I guess.) or talk at the same time as they do, or don't know when it is my turn to talk.

I have intermittent phone phobia.

The worst is where the phone rings and I panic just for a second and decide to let it ring off.

Then I never call back because I'm worried what I will say when I call back.

I lose lots of friends because of it, grr.

You should be able to do it via chat, for at least part of it. Maybe they need to actually talk with you for five minutes. And they will understand if you let them know that you may suddenly have to hang up.

Good luck!

that sucks

This!

I have severe phonephobia. Never go near the thing unless I absolutely positively have no choice (like I need to call the vet for a pet emergency or something).

I love my new text message phone (my son made me get one) but I have no idea how to even operate the phone part of it

Having said all that, I would think that a formal interview for an AS study would be a whole lot easier than trying to make chitchat or figure out what to say and when to say it. Interviewer asks question... give answer... next question... plus, of course, I would start by telling them about my phonephobia.

I don't like phones. I usually let calls go to VM. my ex used to get really mad at me because he thought I should answer the phone all the time, but I didn't want to unless it was someone I wanted to talk to. he even yelled at me once over it and I still refused.

I was still really good at telephone technical support, though.

someone once told me if I was ever bored I should call her. I thought "why would I do that? I'm sure I could find something more interesting to do" but I didn't say it out loud. I don't get bored on my own, and I'm pretty sure talking to her would have been boring.

Maybe you need to point out to the people doing the research that many people with AS have phone phobia and that it is a confounding variable that will skew the reseach sample. It's probably something they haven't considered. I don't do the whole phone thing. There are only two people I answer the phone for and they know to do the secret ring They dial once and let it ring twice then they dial back and I answer. If I don't get the secret ring I know it's from someone I don't want to talk to ie. someone trying to sell me something

There might be ways around it or ways to lessen the discomfort. Maybe someone could answer or make the call on your behalf first then hand you the phone. If it were me, I would try to persuade them to find an alternative.

I've found that this issue is never considered among professionals. Even after they have been informed of my phone issues, it's as though they haven't acknowledged the information. One person I knew made a medically-related phonecall on my behalf once I explained my issues, but at later dates would simply advise me to contact people I needed to via telephone as though they'd forgotten this information!

Therapists are the same. I would mention my phone phobia during treatment for social anxiety, then they would tell me later on how I could contact them. Guess which method of communication was always suggested.