verbal communication - answering questions incorrectly

Post Reply New Topic

Many many times, I answer questions incorrectly. It is mainly because I do not comprehend all the words they say. The other day, somebody at work asked me a question about a name. I thought they asked me my name so I told them my full name. I thought it was odd because they already knew my name… and it turns out they were asking me about somebody else. A typical reaction I face in those situations is that the other person believes I am not listening to them, even if they know I’m autistic.

Other times, somebody may be talking in the room and I think they are addressing me, so I respond, and it turns out that they were not talking to me. Sometimes they are even thinking aloud. They sometimes get irritated when I respond.

I don't know what to do with these people. Do you?

Happens all the time for Aspies - I just smile and try to make a joke about it, seems to work most of the time for me.

Don't make a big deal of it and most NTs will forget it ever happened.

me too, I believe I process all information include auditory one differently. I have to ask the radiologists if I can get up and be ready to leave like a child every time I go for an ultrasound, I just don't know when is the appropriate time to leave unless I get a verbal instruction.

What I learned to do was when I hear someone talk, I look first to see who they are talking to and if they are looking at me, then I know. You never know if there is another person around. This saved me the embarrassment.

Yup best way! sometimes i have a laugh myself, i am often taking things the wrong way, i think it is down to ""Theory of mind"", which apparently a lot on the spectrum have difficulties with...

Ah yes, giving the right answer to the wrong question.
Just pretend you did it on purpose and answer the real question from there: works good enough

Me too. I repetitively question frequently, guessing it is one of my ways of talking.

I like this, must try

I just tell people I have a hearing problem.



It's really confusing because there are times a person can be looking right at me, but they are talking to someone else. How am I supposed to know the difference?

And sometimes I have the opposite problem, a person will be speaking to me but I don't know it because they didn't specifically get my attention first. Especially if they are not in my line of sight, I may not actually be able to understand what they said. I just hear the sound of it but don't really hear the words and don't know if they are talking to me or not.

I just tend to tune people out, if they haven't specifically called me by name or stepped right in front of me or something. I guess they figure out eventually they will have to get my attention first if they want to talk to me.