Anyone also have trouble with written communication ...

Page 1 of 2 [ 24 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

02 Feb 2010, 11:38 am

...aside from oral communication?

I know that some aspies are good at written communication as some even write novels. But for me I suck at expressing myself in language form no matter if it is oral or written.

I remember whenever I write emails to some academic advisor in university I always need my mom to at least check my messages that I write because the language does not flow well :?

And notice how many posts I have on WP and the date I joined...ya, I think most of them are from posting in the quizzes forum where you don't really need to think before you type.

In some ways, I find written harder than oral because of certain "manners" you need to write in email messages and you are expected to be more organised in written since you can edit before you send. With oral, you can't really edit.



TheSpecialKid
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 432
Location: Denmark

02 Feb 2010, 1:33 pm

I hate oral communication compared to written.
I find it much easier to write.

BTW, look at my post-count and join-date.
I think your written language is very fluently and easy to read.

I'm not really sure what sort of answer you expect to this, but I thought I would at least post a response with my opinions.



__biro
Sea Gull
Sea Gull

User avatar

Joined: 5 Aug 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Female
Posts: 219
Location: UK

02 Feb 2010, 2:35 pm

I am much better with written communication than I am with verbal communication. When I talk I often can't get the words from my head to my mouth and they get all jumbled up. I think my written communication is normal compared with most people.


_________________
DX: HFA and ADHD


jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

02 Feb 2010, 2:58 pm

__biro wrote:
When I talk I often can't get the words from my head to my mouth and they get all jumbled up.

I feel that way when I type sometimes, but now that I thought about it more, it seems like typing can be better in a sense that you can take your time and think.



Fiz
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 29 Jan 2006
Age: 42
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,821
Location: Manchester, United Kingdom

02 Feb 2010, 3:08 pm

It depends what I am writing. If I am communicating on here or Facebook, then no, I tend to do ok. However, if I am doing coursework or something like that, I have to go through it over and over for it to make sense, and as for exams, forget it!!



jc6chan
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 21 Oct 2009
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,257
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

02 Feb 2010, 3:19 pm

Fiz wrote:
It depends what I am writing. If I am communicating on here or Facebook, then no, I tend to do ok. However, if I am doing coursework or something like that, I have to go through it over and over for it to make sense, and as for exams, forget it!!

true



Maggiedoll
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Jun 2009
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Posts: 2,126
Location: Maryland

02 Feb 2010, 3:41 pm

I've found WP to be one of the only places in the world where you really can take things back or re-explain and have people actually accept that. Most places, even if somebody says that they understand that you didn't mean whatever offensive thing you accidentally said (or they interpreted,) they still hold it against you, or after you've explained that you mean a certain thing when you say/do a certain thing, they don't take that into account in the future. Here at least people (most people, anyways) will really listen (not literally listen.. is there a word for "listen" when the point is written? It's not just "read" because that doesn't have the same "actually consider/think about" meaning to it as when people say "really listen") and actually think about what you've said you mean, or why you've said that you do things. Like, um, as you've noticed.. I repeat myself a lot, I'm always searching for those perfect words that will actually make what I'm saying clear, and I always feel like if I say something enough different ways, I'm more likely to find those words that I'm looking for. Frequently what ends up happening is that I sound like I'm beating the same point into the ground rather than trying to get those words that I imagine must exist. Here, once I've explained that, people tend to actually think about it when they talk to me, rather than just saying "yea, okay, whatever" and still getting pissed at me for it. I think it's because people in the real world don't take the word "misunderstanding" literally-- they think it just means "didn't react as I wanted you to react" (because that's what it means when they say it) and don't consider that it can actually mean "didn't understand correctly what I was trying to express." Here people are nice and literal and can actually go back and re-understand. I think that helps-- it also spoils me, I guess..



Fo-Rum
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 21 Sep 2008
Age: 40
Gender: Male
Posts: 435

02 Feb 2010, 3:51 pm

I've been told a few times that I am a natural writer! Certainly, for years I have felt a unique ability to write a story in such a manner that is interesting, with no actual classes on writing at all. However, I am not without my problems...

I remember as a kid and probably even now I have problems with written instructions, or maybe just instructions altogether, who knows? I think this is more due to an executive dysfunction than anything else. I had to ask my parents what the instructions meant so I could complete my school work. People get frustrated with the amount of information I require to do whatever task I've been requested to help out with.

I prefer written communication to oral by far though. I have a much easier time with it! Unfortunately it doesn't solve any social awkwardness like some might think. At least not for me!


_________________
Permanently inane.


pensieve
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,204
Location: Sydney, Australia

02 Feb 2010, 6:22 pm

I've struggled with writing and expressing language, but since I've been reading a lot more I seem to have mimicked unknowingly the way my favourite authors write. Still got a lot to learn if I want to be as detailed as Tolkien though.


_________________
My band photography blog - http://lostthroughthelens.wordpress.com/
My personal blog - http://helptheywantmetosocialise.wordpress.com/


Jingo8
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 16 Jan 2010
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Posts: 151

02 Feb 2010, 6:23 pm

My written language is far behind my verbal and both are behind my actual intelegence. Most people say "it's fine" which it is, the point is if you used an IQ scale my writing is maybe 100, while my vocal is say 130 and my actual IQ is 140+. People don't realise how smart or "good" i am at stuff until they see me in action or see my work in action. Simply reading my end product or me telling them just doesn't work.

I find internet forums to be forgiving both becuase of the casual style but also becuase forum language is a hybrid of written and spoken. There's a huge difference between writing something and transcribing something you said (just as there's a difference between listening to someone talk and listening to someone read out loud).

I'm not sure where my struggles originate but part of it seems to be becuase i process in read time. Even when i've considered things for a period and been analysing something, when it comes to writing it down or producing a report or telling someone about it, i have to do it in real time. I can't pre-prepare the actual words before i write/speak them, even if i know the subject matter. This means i need the flexibility to get it wrong, re-explain, correct myself, change my style if the other person doesn't get it.



Tory_canuck
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 8 Jun 2009
Age: 38
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,373
Location: Red Deer, Alberta, Canada

02 Feb 2010, 11:12 pm

During litigation, we are expected to draft orders and affidavits.It takes me longer becuase I always have to figure out how I am going to word it.I do get good marks on the assignments...it just takes me longer.


_________________
Honour over deciet, merit over luck, courage over popularity, duty over entitlement...dont let the cliques fool you for they have no honour...only superficial deceit.

ALBERTAN...and DAMN PROUD OF IT!!


CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 116,933
Location: In my little Olympic World of peace and love

02 Feb 2010, 11:21 pm

I find that I have more problems with written communication, as well. It's too much of an effort for me to write anything on paper, without screwing up, after two or three words.


_________________
The Family Enigma


MissConstrue
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 4 Feb 2008
Gender: Female
Posts: 17,052
Location: MO

02 Feb 2010, 11:46 pm

Yep mine I think is due to pragmatic language impairment which is common for those who are on the spectrum.

You might want to have a look at this..

----> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatic_ ... impairment


_________________
I live as I choose or I will not live at all.
~Delores O’Riordan


Sora
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Sep 2006
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,906
Location: Europe

03 Feb 2010, 8:05 am

I find written communication to be even quite troublesome since I got more into talking to people. I feel as if the more thought you put in what you write, the more likely it is that people don't read it like that. And then, people don't listen to exact wording much either, but at least there's a chance I'll notice face to face. When talking to someone face to face, most people quickly respond so I can get an idea what goes on in their heads.

If a friend asks me where a magazine is and I tell them it's under the table, they might quickly respond that it isn't on the table. So then I know they for whatever reason they didn't listen to me. If that conversation occurred in E-Mail or SMS, it's likely that between me telling them about the magazine and they responding hours go by. That's a long time for them to get upset.

I was pretty bad with exams too. The teachers kept saying they didn't understand what I wrote. The one thing that kept me from just getting the worst grade about my apparently surreal, empty and useless argumentations was that my introductions and conclusions or solutions were usually correct. Some teachers also claimed that they did understand but were actually talking about completely different topics that I had supposedly wrote about and focussed on. Needless to say, I had not written about the things they claimed I had.

I tried figuring out the problem there, but I didn't find any leads.

I prefer talking to people face to face by now, although there's just a world of just as big problems. I'm not good at giving a socially appropriate and thoughtful responses fast. I need time to try to do both. I mean, I need time to think about how to put my thoughts into words, I have to think about what words mean what, about whether the words that fit are socially appropriate and then go over the process again and again until I got my answer. That does take more time than the typical pace of conversation allows.

By now, I can respond fast. But if I do, it's likely superficially socially appropriate but without much meaning and thought. If I just go by what's normal to me my wording is reflecting my autism but (I think) then it's also full of meaning and thought seeing how I can spend my time thinking about the topic on hand.

I hope there's going to be a way to balance this out eventually, but I'm not hopeful. I can't imagine answering as quickly as everybody else while delivering my thoughts in words that are as socially appropriate as that of all the other people.

Written communication offers that time, but well - as I wrote, written communication offers yet other difficulties to me.


_________________
Autism + ADHD
______
The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it. Terry Pratchett


ursaminor
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 20 Nov 2009
Age: 158
Gender: Male
Posts: 936
Location: Leiden, Netherlands

03 Feb 2010, 8:48 am

I like oral communication because I can say things quickly and people will accept it because you cannot take back words you have said. I like written communication because people will wait for you to explain things and make their responses logical and relevant. I like written communication more because it does not feel as if I am communicating with a person, but avatars throw me off and make me uncomfortable when I try to think that way.



TheSpecialKid
Velociraptor
Velociraptor

User avatar

Joined: 30 Aug 2008
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Posts: 432
Location: Denmark

04 Feb 2010, 5:30 pm

MissConstrue wrote:
Yep mine I think is due to pragmatic language impairment which is common for those who are on the spectrum.

You might want to have a look at this..

----> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pragmatic_ ... impairment


Second time something is written about me!! ! Thanks for the link. :D

Sora wrote:
By now, I can respond fast. But if I do, it's likely superficially socially appropriate but without much meaning and thought. If I just go by what's normal to me my wording is reflecting my autism but (I think) then it's also full of meaning and thought seeing how I can spend my time thinking about the topic on hand.


Sounds like stock-phrases.
I use this quite alot, and it works great.... half of the time...
I can't respond "fast", but i definitely respond faster.