Losing the ability to speak

Post Reply New Topic

Is it possible to lose the ability to converse with people after a long period of isolation?

Lately it seems that I just cant speak to people, my mind will constantly just draw a blank in conversation like my mind is filled with a thick fog. I remember being able to talk to people in the past, I was even described as "witty" at one point. Even typing out messages like this on forums or talking to people in chat rooms is a struggle, I just cant find the words as effortlessly as I used to.

Im not sure if its the fact that Ive isolated myself away from people for so long (pretty much agoraphobic for the past year after a hard breakup), or the seroxat im taking (weaning myself off now actually, down from 30mg to 15 for the last month), but something seems to have gone from the social part of my brain and I desperately want it back. It almost feels as if my autism is getting worse over time, is this possible?

Anyone else had anything like this happen to them?

Never personally happened to me, though I am quite isolated.

Like many things, conversations require practice, those areas of the brain controlling conversation need regular exercise to stay in tip top shape.

Consider the stories of wild children who grew up in forests and never spoke: because they never exercised this "muscle" they could never learn how to speak, even when taught later in life by civilized folk.

Yes me too

personally, I like being more non verbal than I ever have before

congratulations... most people talk poop anyways

happens to me sometimes but not after long isolation (which i never experienced personally) - i hate not beeing able to react propperly and it feels very awkward while it lasts. via messenger it's even worse, i feel the need to express myself but my mind get's blank and my dialog partner has to wait up to 30 minutes while i try to figure out how to reply. -.-
but i think it's somehow part of my dissociations though.

When overwhelmed, yeah.

Perhaps you're more anxious around people due to not being used to them and all of the unpredictability and sensory bombardment (isolation can make these things worst when exposed again), which leads on to being overwhelmed for you.

I am a huge talker...too much of a talker actually.

But when I am overwhelmed or afraid, I can't get more than one word out at a time. When I am in work situations, this is a problem because people assume that I am deep in thought when I am actually unable to think at all.

When I am among people that really know me and I clam up, they know immediately that they should try to get me out of whatever environment is causing the overwhelmed state of mind. Friends are good to have in those times because not only can I not talk, I can't even walk on my own. It is a total freeze for me.

I have fluctuations in speaking ability, but not from lack of use. I've been living like a hermit for about 10 years, but can still usually manage basic, short exchanges (I was never very talkative in the first place), and the occasional extended one, if necessary. I do get a little rusty, but it seems limited. I was about to say that maybe the headaches and exhaustion were worse, but they're probably just more noticeable because they aren't happening all the time, anymore.

Other things like lack of sleep or overload are what give me those "blank out" moments. For me the big problem with conversations is how slow my brain is at processing the words.

But I've never been very talkative, so maybe you're (OP) talking about a higher level of conversation that I ever get to in the first place.

That happens to me a great deal. I've never been much of a word person but inability to use language worsens after a longer period of isolation. It's like I forget elementary rules, which is not so suprising I guess. So I would say this is a 'natural' outcome..
Which is not to say that I dislike talking to people, however mostly I dislike them themselves, or that I am somehow disabled in language. I self-taught myself to read at the age of 5 and do appreaciate complex language etc. It's just I at times language seems rather alien to me (only human-word language, though, I do with numbers and computers just fine).

Yes, it happened to me when I stopped going out for a while. I was writing almost everyday and did nothing but that for many months. Fortunately now I live with three people so I won't lose the skills again.

Thanks for the replies guys.

I know I should get out more and keep my social skills trained up, its so hard to know how though when you find talking to new people so hard. I wish there were more social groups for adult aspies in my area.

Im gonna try my hardest to find work again this year though, maybe that will help.

for me conversation is like a skill that takes practice and warming up. i can get a little rusty if i've been isolated for a long period. doing a job where i can chat pointless crap with random members of the public has helped somewhat, as i don't really have many friends i speak to in person and i'm not that chatty with most of my family either