In one on one conservations. Hand movement question.

Post Reply New Topic

In one on one conservations do you have trouble taking things in if the other person uses their hands as part of their communication method?

For instance, they move their hands in front of their face to describe or emphasise a point they are making. They imitate or 'draw' the shape of an umbrella when describing that AS falls under the ASD umbrella.

I'm considering the posibility of taking a nail gun on my next visit to my physc. I find it terribly distracting trying to take in what she is saying with both hands waving around in the air like they're shooing flies.

(joking about the nail gun)

Bill

just tell him you find it distracting and ask him to keep it to a minimum during your visits. it's a habit, so he may not be able to suppress it entirely, but i would think he would try.

Nope. I usually don't look at them anyway.

I can't stand hands flying around in front of me. A lady I was talking to this past week is very expressive with her hands and she started laughing at me. She said, "That's funny, you look where ever I put my hands". If she holds them up high in a gesture, I follow. I try not to. I just try to survive all the flicking and pay attention to coffee or whatever I have in front of me. I close my eyes as much as I can. When I'm home alone with my husband I close my eyes and plug my ears with my fingers - I can still hear him, but it damps everything down. I guess if he still wants to talk to me, that's okay. I still don't take everything in. I can't stand it when the lighting in a room really plays on a person's face while it is moving, too.

If someone's hand gestures are actually useful then it's not a problem. But if it's aimless gesticulating, it can distract.

I'll use my hands to try to illustrate something, but if I'm just talking, then my hands don't join in. Instead, they're usually stimming. Either fidgeting with a thing or stroking my jeans.


It does remind of one time with my mother. She was talking to a friend of hers, and her hands were flailing about. I reached in and pinned her hands, then said "okay, now talk." (Nope, nothing at all strange about reaching into a conversation between two other people and pinning one's hands. /eyeroll) Mom gave me a dirty look, but didn't tell me off like I probably deserved. She resumed talking, and got to the word clockwise. With her hands pinned, she wound up tipping her head all the way to her shoulder to illustrate "clockwise". At that point I literally fall on the ground laughing.