Spoken vs Written Language

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I have a chronic pain condition. To cope with this I have started listening to audiobooks as it's something I can do which keeps my mind off things even when the pain is bad. If I'm listening to an audio version of a book I've read before - like - all of the Harry Potter books or a number of my favourite Star Wars books then I find it's basically OK. However, if I listen to a book which I've not read before, I have to hear each chapter several times before I start to understand what's going on. More than that, if I then read a chapter which I've already listened to two or three times, it seems like I'm reading something new and I come away with different and much deeper and stronger understanding than I did from listening. It's like my aural processing isn't working properly and I can never get to the same level of comprehension verbally which I can get to via the written word. It's so frustrating because I love to read but I can't always cope with holding a book up.

Does anyone else on the spectrum find processing spoken language much much harder than processing written language? I really understand what's happening when things are written down but in terms of spoken language I constantly feel like I'm floundering around in the dark.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and your experiences with any differences you experience between written and spoken language.

Howdy. I was listening to audiobooks while I knit because I like to do both, but find it hard to make the time to do them so I thought the audiobook route would be like killing two birds with one stone. However, I wasn't able to continue with it because something would happen to make my mind focus on something else (even if only for a few minutes - like trying to figure out a new knit stitch) and I would lose what was happening in the book I was listening to. It drove me nuts having to rewind several times so I don't listen to audiobooks anymore and instead read my kindle so both my eyes and mind are focused on the book. I'm also very visual. I only read in bed before I go to sleep, otherwise I can't seem to focus on the book during the day. I'm thinking I have adhd, but never diagnosed.

Written language is easier for me to process than verbal.

In fact, I've noticed that if I hear words and I can't turn them into images of words in my head as the first step in the translation process, there is no translation process at all.

I have this problem too.

I can mostly follow audio books, but I think I'll probably miss some info compared to reading. With writing, it's very easy to just go back to earlier words to re-read anything you missed. The shape of the writing you haven't read yet can help give you enough of an idea of what's to come that you're in the right frame of mind.

It's especially a big deal with some work situations, I think because of the way the information is organized (e.g. trying to understand what my instructions are when we have a meeting/discussion for figuring out what needs to be done).

I don't care much for TV and movies as entertainment, and I prefer to have subtitles/captions on when I do watch. (I definitely can't do live action foreign films with dubbed voices.)

I did well with lectures in school. Maybe because there was usually a visual element to it.

I do a lot better with written word. But I also enjoy someone reading me a story.

I, too, fare better with the written word.

This is partly due to the fact that I have difficulty processing spoken language, and partly due to the fact that a lot of people are *really* inefficient at verbal communication (constantly veering off-topic and engaging in irrelevant small-talk), which tends to infuriate me. In my experience committing something to writing often enforces precision and concision in communication.

Some professions (like police officers, doctors and military personnel) are often very good at verbal communication, since they have been trained to communicate efficiently under time pressure. A lot of other people - especially those in academic professions - seem to have an exceptionally lazy approach to language.

I have to rewind all of the time too. When I think about what you've said, it is when my mind focuses on something, even something in the story, that I then miss all of the next bit. I guess with reading if a person unconsciously did that the reading would wait for them to process whatever has caught their attention. This is a really interesting insight - thanks!






My memory works a bit like that. At home I write down a shopping list, but I don't have to take it to the shops - I can remember what it looked like and what was on it. If someone just tells me a list of things though I can't remember it. I guess I could try imagining a list to help the process. Are you very visual?






I really relate to this. I struggle in formal situations like work (doctors too) where people give me instructions. I find it hard to get them into my head. Once they're there they stay there forever but getting hold of the information is hard for me. I don't watch a lot of TV but I love movies. However I too, always have the subtitles on.






I like having a story read to me too. I often listen when it's time to sleep (I have trouble sleeping if there are extraneous noises I can hear so earphones and a steady sound, like talking helps).






I know what you mean - I've noticed that some professions talk in a more information rich and logical way. I find those kind of folks much easier to understand - they say what they mean, directly. I really like that. I've also found that in verbal language people tend to be approximate rather than accurate so it's hard from a verbal exchange to know what's going to happen next. For instance when people say, "I'll be 30 seconds." and go off to do something, I've found that means on average that they'll be between 6 and 7 minutes, but it depends on the person. I used to see this as lying but my minister says it's a figure of speach which means a short indeterminate time. I think saying "I'll be a few minutes" would be better.
I also wonder if, when people communicate in written form they are more prepared to keep their word because it's recorded. I think spoken words are often inaccurate because people think that no-one will remember exactly. If I understand what's said to me I do remember exactly, for years and years.

That's because listening involves necessarily paying attention all the time. It must involve processing that is fast enough and it cannot veer even fort a moment without losing information.

I'm an auditory person myself, like I would rather hear instructions at a slow pace than read them, but everyone will run into the issue of not paying attention to some part of the auditory story because of what I said above. One modality is time-dependent while the other is not.

I absolutely have difficulty with processing spoken language! I listen to radio shows a lot, but unless I'm doing nothing but listen to it (or I've read a transcript) and am not bombarded with sensory input, I have no idea what they're saying. I mostly listen to them because I like the sound of their voices rather than an interest in what's being said. This is a massive problem when I'm in lectures because trying to focus on what's being said and what's on the presentation slide at the same time is impossible, because I can't process what I'm hearing.

I have an easier time processing the written word over the spoken one. I do not know why.

Good point about the efficiency of speech.

I have thought that I have the ability to get to the point, to be succinct, and have noticed others struggle with this. My wife adds a lot of details that I find are irrelevant, especially when she's talking to someone else.

I decided that she was communicating context, or other things on a different level that is not valuable to me.

I value brevity, partly because I feel like anything else is an imposition on the listener's time, partly because I just want to get it over with so I can do something else.

It's funny, I can listen to someone talk for a minute or more and then sum up their point in one simple sentence. I usually listen, and then repeat their point as a question just to verify.


As for the OP, I have difficulty getting the full meaning out of audiobooks. I cannot focus, or it just feels like I'm missing something. I don't have nearly as much trouble with listening to conversations/lectures and getting full meaning, though.

Yes, I find written things MUCH easier to process. Something just gets lost in translation spoken. It is very annoying because I usually have to ask that person to repeat instructions/directions etc whatever it may be at least once more.

I have that problem too. Whenever I listen to something, my mind keeps wandering like you two describe. I have to rewind things I watch and restart YouTube videos all the time, and often I lose track at the same points too. Really annoying as I enjoy listening. I don't get why it happens, as I can't recall having that problem as a kid.

I process either, spoken or written language rather slowly and superficially.
Usually in school when I read a text, I had no damn idea what was actually going on.
In spoken language I often forget a lot, WHILE I'm listening.
That's: I forget the beginning of a sentence while it's still being said.
Or I get distracted by bodily sensations. Like when I sit down and my back is starting to hurt, I correct my position, and while I do, I forget whatever has been said.

Although, when I get perfect sleep I can keep up "okay".

I have this problem too!

I always need closed captioning on television and movies, otherwise I can't figure out what the heck is going on. I've found a few captioned audiobooks on youtube here:
(I can't post urls, but look up captioned audiobooks on youtube)
And a way to use iphone to make the ibooks into audiobooks:
(Google captioned audiobooks)

If you have a tablet or a smartphone there are also apps that you can download that will let you use voice commands to turn the page, so you could lie down/sit down and prop up the device and not have to move at all! A lot of them that I've seen are free, and a lot of them are kind of glitchy at first, but they get better as they learn your voice.

If you also use a smart device you can get another app to work with your audiobooks, so you just need to say "rewind" and such, so at least you wouldn't have to move as much as well (especially if you like to close your eyes while listening).

I have a super hard time processing audio languages. I need to either have captions or be closely watching people's mouths as they speak.

I have always had a hard time following verbal communication. Everyone thought it was because of a moderate hearing loss, but hearing aides did not help with following verbal communication. The hearing aides made my hypersensitivity to sound worse though.

Later, I found out that I had Auditory-Verbal Processing Speed Disorder and was recommended that I get important information in writing. I have also always loved closed captioning for watching television and movies.