Possible Sensory issue or bad hearing?

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Ever since I was a kid I've always asked "what?" all the time when talking to people, making them repeat themselves. I started noticing that many times I'll understand what they've said after I ask them to repeat themsevles, but at that point they've already started saying it again so I just let them.

I usually can't understand lyrics in songs unless they are slower songs or unless I really concentrate on them.

Tonight I sat down to watch tv and couldn't really understand what was being said without really concentrating on it, although I could hear the sound, so I just left to do something else. I've never thought much about it but I mentioned it to my mom as I left and she seemed to be concerned or something. Later that night I could understand the tv just fine, and I'm pretty sure it was at the same volume, but I was more comfortable so maybe that was the difference?

I'm not sure if I have Asperger's, Im still trying to decide if I want to spend the money to get tested, but my moms reaction got me worried that maybe there was something wrong with my hearing...so I guess my question is, is this something sensory dysfunction could cause and has anyone else experienced this kind of thing? If not, I guess I should get my hearing checked...kinda worried, I'm not even that old :/

Last edited by Dovi on 17 Sep 2012, 1:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

I had this as a kid too, my hearing was fine and as you say it is the processing part that sometimes seemed to take a bit longer. I'm not sure about the other things you mention. Maybe if you don't want to spend the money on the AS assessment at the moment you could get a hearing check up to rule hearing problems out?

as long as you can hear the voices, it is not a hearing problem.
it might be sensory integration disorder though, a common co-morbid of autism/aspergers, but it can also exist on its own; this makes it hard to focus on one type of input if there are many (like you say, you have to concentrate)

I get that, but was never wise enough to let them finish. So a few people thought I just liked making them repeat questions.

I'd call it a sensory issue related to being an aspie. Similar effects are mentioned in Temple Grandin's books.

I have the exact same problem. People think I'm strange because I like to watch TV programmes with the subtitles on, but it really helps me follow what is going on. I also ask people to repeat themselves a lot.

I think in my case it is a sensory/information processing problem rather than a hearing problem, because I can hear things fine in a lot of circumstances. My theory is that I find auditory information hard to understand when I don't know much about the context of what they are talking about. Like when I'm watching a sitcom, the storyline is very simple, and so I can relate everything that has been said to the bigger picture very easily. In that case I can "hear" fine. But when I'm watching a murder mystery, its like everything that people say is random and disconnected, because its part of a jigsaw puzzle that hasn't fitted together yet. Its like the information comes in, but I don't know how to logically arrange it in my brain. Weirdly this gives the illusion of not being able to hear what people are saying, even though I am sure my ears are in perfect working order.

I get this delay too.

My father, undiagnosed aspie all his long life, had a delay of a minute or so when asked a question. As a kid I'd joke "insert the coin and wait".

If I understand you correctly... I do this too, but I think it's perfectly normal. With me, it usually takes only a split second after I ask "What?" to realize I know what they just said. My dad does this probably more than I do. My sister does this. I even saw a group she joined on facebook for people that ask "what?" and then realize seconds later they didn't need to ask.

I don't know what it is, but to me if feels like... For a moment, my mind wasn't really ready to hear whatever they said, so part of me hasn't caught on to the words for a split second or maybe it has, but I feel the same as if I never heard the words since I wasn't fully listening, so I ask "what?".


I also miss out on understanding what people say if I am not 100% grasping the concept. I'll hear it properly but if I don't repeat it in my mind and understand it, sometimes I don't get it.. but then I miss out on whatever is said next.

As for the TV thing, I don't think I have that problem very often...
It seems like a concentration issue. You're concentrating on something else or unable to focus on anything. Or it's a comprehension, learning problem. But, I suppose if your hearing is a bit bad, the words might be fogged up enough to make them not fully "hearable". When the volume is down for something, I do really need to concentrate more in order to hear it.

I used to do the "what?" thing as well. I managed to stop after the fiftieth "Ugh! NEVER MIND!" I'm not sure why I did it though...

I finally decided to make an account and join this community, I just had to reply to this....



I'm the same exact way. From the time I was a kid I have almost always asked "what?" when having a conversation. I can hear their voice just fine, but it either takes a moment for me to reply or I need to ask them to repeat what they said for me to reply. It's hard to explain. I remember my dad would get angry at me because I would ask "what?" so often, if I recall correctly I think I was grounded a few times because of this.


What really got me interested in replying to this thread how you mention you can't understand lyrics in songs. I have never been able to either, unless I concentrate really hard and try to tune out the rest of the music, even then I usually can't. I can hear the lyrics/vocals in songs just fine, but I just hear them as sound & part of the song, I can't interpret or integrate it into words. Even songs I've heard countless times I have absolutely no clue what the lyrics are.

I actually prefer to listen to music with out any lyrics/singing. Some poetic hip-hop I can enjoy and actually hear/interpret the words.

I do that when someone says something 'off the script'.

eg. I order meal. I expect them to say 'have a good meal', or 'do you want sauce?' or one of a few things I've heard before. They say something completely different.. I hear it but it appears in my brain as if they were speaking klingon.

Look up "Central Auditory Processing Disorder".

My daughter does this too. It seems to be a processing problem. She will say 'What' and we'll repeat it. This doesn't help, as the words being spoken interfere with her processing and she will often say 'What' again, because she has become confused. I'm going to have to discourage her from saying 'What' and we'll maybe have to come up with some sort of signal meaning - my ears heard what you said, please give me a few seconds to think of what it means and to prepare an answer.

I have a bit of a processing problem too. If I'm thinking about something and someone asks me a question, I have a problem moving from my subject to the new subject. The other person will get annoyed at me for 'not listening' when I'm struggling to focus on the words and what they mean. Just give me a few seconds and I'll answer you, I'm not ignoring you, I just need time to get into gear. Unfortunately most people don't allow for this processing and pounce in with, 'Did you hear me?', 'Will you please answer me', 'What did I say?', etc.

I definitely have this problem. My hearing tests are perfect but I am always asking, “What?" When people comment on it, I now just say I'm hard of hearing. Saying I have a processing problem instead of a hearing problem doesn't work so well...people just think I mean that I'm stupid, so they speak really slowly.

Some people think I have bad hearing but it's hard for me to hear over other sounds. I wish people would shout when they speak to me and I have to shout "what?" as if I am in a loud room. My husband has started to think I am going deaf but I tell him I have a hard time hearing him over other sounds and sometimes my mind can't process what he is saying so it sounds gibberish to me. So he has to speak slowly to me. I pretty much say what all the time when someone just starts talking to me. Then I can process it when they repeat themselves because I am more focused on what they say. My mind can't seem to process words if I am focused on something else so I have to turn my attention to them and talking to me all of a sudden isn't going to do. I even have to turn down the music in the car when someone talks to me or when I talk to them in the car or else I am shouting. My mom is the same way too, she also turns down the music and my dad turns it down also when he gets a phone call or has to make a call. I thought everyone was like this but nope only some people are.

In second grade kids thought I was deaf because they start talking to me and I wouldn't even know it because I wasn't paying attention. There be noise and I be zoned out and wouldn't even notice someone behind me talking to me until "Beth, are you deaf?" That seemed to catch my attention. I was labeled as having a hearing problem by my peers and friend. I did of course and you don't need to be deaf to have a hearing problem. Same with hard of hearing.

Background noise is a problem for my daughter and I too. If the TV is on, there's no way I can filter it out to hear someone talking. In noisy bars, I lipread an awful lot. If I'm not wearing my glasses (which would be very unusual these days) I can't hear what the other person is saying at all. I remember sitting on a bus and 'listening' to an old school friend talking for a 30min journey. I've no idea what she said at all and just nodded and smiled. She was smiling, so I assume it was appropriate. That said, she must have been monologuing and not asking me anything (I hadn't noticed that about her before), because I never managed to say a word back to her and she never appeared to expect a reply either. I would have had to change the subject, because I've no idea what the subject was.

That's exactly it! Not being able to process when there is background noise!