Problematic speech

Post Reply New Topic

This is true. It is almost astonishing that someone would hassle a non talker for interaction then refuse to read their words. However this frequently happens. It is as though writing is not considered a legitimate form of communication.

I carry a palmtop to write on, it is a greyscale Osaris. Though I hardly use it because spontaneous communication is nearly impossible. Usually I prepare word documents and save them to be opened and shared at a specified time later.

I don't have a problem with speech, other than the appearing rude/insensitive thing - for example, for me saying "X is better than Y" and "Y is worse than X mean the same", but I have learned the hard way that saying "Y is worse than X" is interpreted by NT people to mean "both are crap" and it is very offensive... There are a million other little hidden meanings like that that you don't find out until after you've offended someone, and then you gotta keep a huge mental notebook of all these language minefields to avoid.
I still don't like talking to people though cause the whole eye contact thing is exhausting. I gotta force myself to do it to "appear normal" and it drains my energy. I prefer to write whenever possible to avoid the eye contact.

I do the equivalent as well. Communication can be problematic not in that I mostly do not speak, but that others do not listen! I do try but I cannot motivate another. ViatorRose - I have the same difficulties.....verbal speech can be too fast so I 'pre-write' on occasion. However, the context may then change which negates what I've written so I must begin anew.

I completely understand what you wrote about writing not being considered a valid form of communication! Speech is not a moratorium and should not confine. There are other ways and this too should be recognized. I am very respectful of others when they speak and I do listen. But quite often they do not reciprocate.

Like KingdomOfRats and others who have posted, those of us Autists who are (at least) partly non-verbal have an extra rough time. Sometimes I wish, for those of who are 'mutes,' there could be a special WP board.....we do have another complexity in the fold of autism. Many/most Aspies can be quite verbose - our translation of image/thought/number/sequence can be hard!

One I like very much on WP, Age1600, is within this realm too - she writes and expresses herself so beautifully. I wonder if there could be a special place on WP for 'our kind' of Autistic...hmm.

A space of our own; it is an excellent idea which I would be willing to participate in. If you have any suggestions on how to inaugurate this please go ahead, I will provide support to the best of my ability.

Thank you. I just posted a thread in Wrong Planet.net discussion, Special Silent Forum..., and asked a moderator (actually any moderators), MrMark, to perhaps help facilitate! You can check out my thread as indicated.

I have posted a reply in the thread mentioned above. Thankyou for initiating this and contacting the moderators on our collective behalf. It concerns me slightly that my enthusiasm for this project has not been conveyed sufficiently. I suspect this is partly due to my discomfort in using exclamation marks. I am very keen to particpate in the Special Silent Forum regardless of the methods of communication implemented by the users.

I read 'info' somewhere and I read it is called some kind of 'Brocca dysphasia' related sometimes with asperger's individuals (some). I think maybe I got a little of that since bornt, ..

I had not before heard of this brand. Initial research suggests it is a keyboard with an alpha numeric lcd display. Is this correct? I would be most interested to know if it displays the text written for another person to read, or as an intermediate stage before translating the text into words to be listened to. Does it 'speak' for you?

I would very much like to utilise such a machine. I began designs to integrate an audio system into my Osaris but both my technical knowledge and the computer hardware severely lack the ability to perform such a feat.

Does anyone employ such a 'speaking' device successfully on a daily basis?

About DANA....it's just like a (cheap!) laptop in that it has a screen and I can type instead of speak, then the others can READ instead of me speaking aloud. I do it daily, but I can and do speak sometimes. Sometimes writing is just FAR easier. DANA does not speak for me but is better/more sophisticated than me writing messages on paper for 2 reasons: I type quickly. And my handwriting is lousy; typing is easier for anyone to read.

There is a display but DANA is quite small so it's not like a full-size screen but you can scroll easily. The keyboard is much like that of any laptop, even with functions like a day-calendar/appt book, address book, calculator, etc. I like that I can sit next to someone and the screen can switch orientation 90 degrees so the reader can more easily see and I don't have to tilt back and forth.

About devices that 'speak,' I do not know. A DANA is quite inexpensive at ~ $350 and can be PC compatible. I'm sure a speaking device, which I don't actually need since I rely upon others to read, would be much more in-depth.

You could Google AlphaSmart and see related devices though.

I have trouble controlling the volume and tone of my voice. It rarely expresses what it is supposed to. People tell me my voice sounds shaky and child-like.

When I was a child, I had a very pronounced lisp. That, combined with the above difficulties, combined with social difficulties, combined with general stress, caused me to be mute most of the time.

Strangely, my extreme silence was never thought to be indicative of any pathology, even though everyone noticed its severity and openly commented on it. I was just a "shy girl".

Being mute was really awful when I was in my teen years. Because I didn't talk, people treated me like I was not human. They would talk about me right in front of me without so much as a glance in my direction.

It was also a running joke, apparently, to ask me for the time of day. For years, my classmates sought amusement by hearing my strange voice give the exact time ("It is 2:41"). I still don't understand that or why it lasted for all 4 years at that school.

yeah reading/writing are diff brain sectors than speaking :S