Auditory processing and zoning out

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I've heard these two things are associated with ASD. I think I've just run into a good example of both - I swear my current job just compounds all this, which is why I'm seriously thinking about quitting. Anyways. I have had my ears checked for a recent medical - there is nothing wrong with my ears. In fact, my hearing is very acute. But at work, I have to be told something at least three times to "hear" it. Even then, if it's a complex message comprised of many steps, I'm very likely to forget one.
This has my superiors convinced I'm just an idiot. Could this be an ASD thing? Is there anything one can do about it without looking like even more of an idiot?
Also, I discovered yesterday, I can sit perfectly still on a chair and stare at nothing for hours. And not be bored, because of all the things that are going on in my head. Is this classified as "zoning out?" My boss came in and said "what the hell are you doing? You've been sitting there for about an hour."

I catch myself zoning in and out all the time. There are times that I miss songs on my CDs, because I'm zoned out of the music and zoned into something else.

Yes! I never understand why other people are bored all the time. Is there really nothing interesting in their heads?

it sometimes takes me 5 hours [over two days] to watch a movie because i lose track of the dialogue every few seconds.

This is why I fail at audiobooks.

What are your sensory impressions like when you zone out? It seems like I just stop processing my senses entirely, and I would even say I'm not sure there's any language in my brain at the time. Just sort of a blur of impressions.

I'm not too bad about zoning out, but I do it on occasion. Mostly, I'll see something unusual, and one though leads to another, and another, and before I know it a fair amount of time has passed. I usually stop myself pretty quickly when I am in public, but when I am at home watching a movie or listening to a podcast, I can completely lose track of what I'm doing.

Sounds like it could be central auditory processing disorder (emphasis on the "central" part), or otherwise just general wonky autistic processing of senses and/or interpretation of spoken language. Seems like a lot of people have that kind of thing.

I had a job once where it was unusually noisy, and it decimated my functionality. I couldn't think straight for 10 seconds before losing track and ending up in mental limbo. And even after I got home I'd bounce around the kitchen trying to make something to eat, but would get too confused to figure it out (and I don't usually have that kind of trouble).

But anyway, it's different from being unable to understand under any circumstances, I think. As far as spacing out, I've wondered if that's like meditation -- but through 'cheating,' or if it's something entirely different.

I zone out all the time. It's one reason why I don't drive. The first example sounds a lot like me as well. I'm over-sensitive to sounds, but I have a hard time processing voices which will result in me not being able to hear the person well(esp over the phone) and I have to ask them to repeat what was said multiple times in order for it to 'sink in'.

yah i zone out a lot.. Its one of the things I enjoy doing when I'm being anti-social

Been having trouble in class because I'll be sitting there watching the lecturer speak for half an hour then I realise I haven't heard a damn thing over my internal dialogue and wonder what the heck I'm supposed to be doing

_________________
G'day... I'm new here.. I'm not very good at introducing myself
so I'm gonna just start talking and y'all can get used to me

Your Aspie score: 155 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 57 of 200
You are very likely an Aspie

Same here, I hear just fine. In fact I would be totally fine with hearing a bit less. I'd be OK if I didn't 'hear' those security devices they have at the exit of a lot of stores. Y'know, those metal or white H shaped gate things you have to pass between that are picking up on the magnetic anti-theft tags, gah how those things are annoying to hear. But when people start talking sometimes it's just soo hard to follow.

I try, but if what's being covered is something I know or have heard about a lot of times I just can't. I hear all the individual words, but there's nothing connecting the words to their meaning, it might as well be a bunch of bees going bzzzt for all the sense it makes to me and I zone out until someone says my name. In particular when instructions for something I already know are being repeated a lot for people who are new. You could probably insert funny stuff like "then Rob should dance naked with the pink elephant." and I would not even notice. Gimme one visual or practical example though and I've got it.