Thinking one word, saying another?

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I go through phases where I can be thinking of one word but my mouth says a completely different word. It can get very embarrassing, actually humiliating is closer to the truth. It's not always so prominent and I can go months between phases.

I was talking to a relative about their child's christening but said funeral. I had not been thinking or talking of funerals. I was thinking christening. I had planned the sentence in my head but the wrong word came out. It was very busy and everyone laughed, but I was dying inside.

I've also been forgetting words a lot again. Was trying to tell someone about reflux and for the life of me I couldn't remember the word reflux.

I have no idea what that is called or if there is any way to stop it happening.

I don't know if it is Autism specific or if there is something else going on.

Can anyone advise? Has anyone else got this intermittent problem?

I don't really know what to do about it, but I do know that I also do that a lot... it really ruins my sentences in some of the most inappropriate ways sometimes I find that if I'm with friends they just laugh and say it's funny or 'cute' but I've also done it in some situations where it's got me into trouble, and then when I panicked because they were angry about what I'd said that I didn't mean, I froze up and started crying, which made me look even more guilty. The only thing I've found that can help sometimes is to try to make myself talk more slowly and breathe deeper, and not to feel bad for having to stop to think sometimes. It tends to make it worse if I'm panicking over the idea of having to answer quickly, and sometimes allowing myself to be slow helps a bit.

I've got something slightly similar very often. I'm just talking and somewhere I skip speaking a word, but my brain just keeps going as normal, and then I'm suddenly saying the wrong words. Once I notice it, it turns into gibberish and I have to take a deep breath and start over.

People always look at me in a funny way when that happens, but I got used to that over the years. It happens more frequent when I speak fast (I talk fast when I don't pay attention), then I just verbally stumble over them

I can empathise ... It actually happened today, I was talking to an old friend of mine and for some reason I went to call her name but instead I shouted "MUSLIM" .. It was very embarrassing for me, especially as I explained why I said it. No one quite understood, they thought I was well wierd!!

Thanks guys...

Aspixie, thats exactly how I felt. I wanted to curl and and cry or die. Wasn't appropriate to do so and didn't want them to start feeling bad for me when it was my cock up.

Mindmapper - what you describe is what happens to me most often but I'm used to that and as long as I speak slowly and plan in advance what I say I'm *usually* ok but the different words thing is rare.

Shambles - that sounds like a tourettes thing ( but I'm no expert) As mine was in the course of controlled conversation with no change of pace or tone of the words, it just confused me. I think if I'd shouted out something random instead it would have been almost better and more acceptable. I just feel so bad for saying that to a new mum Ugh so embarrassed.

Eh. Do what you can. Like NT's don't make mistakes. If they don't understand, that's their problem.

I sometimes say the wrong word or can't remember a common word. I'll pause for a couple seconds and explain I'm trying to think of the correct word, but if it seems to be dragging out, I'll just say something like, "well anyway. Moving on", and continue my thoughts. (So I don't bore them more than I already am. )

I have a word block that isn't usually noticeable. But sometimes I will try to restart what I said and after multiple tries I just have to take a deep breath and think for a few seconds.
Sometimes I will substitute words without realizing it and i am okay with it. I said green olives one time when I meant pickles, but since someone realized what I meant it was okay.

My boyfriend affectionately refers to it as my 'speech impediment.'

For some reason, there are times when my brain and mouth just aren't communicating correctly. A lot of times I'll start to talk and if I didn't take the time to carefully form the sentence in my head first (which I almost always do), the words will run together and I'll have to stop, take a breath and start over. The other time this sort of thing happens is when I am trying to decide between using two words, and I speak before the decision is made, and I end up saying a combination of the two words. I also switch the first letters around in the words I'm speaking often.

An example that my family found amusing last night was when I kept saying "Robster" instead of "Rock Lobster" while we were playing Rock Band. I knew I was doing it, and kept telling myself to think carefully before I spoke, but I probably did it about three times.

Paraphasia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paraphasia

When someone corrects you they make it clear that they know what you meant and there was no logical reason to stop the conversation because you obviously misspoke. But they do it anyway.

I try to avoid stopping the conversation unless I can't determine the intended meaning - then I ask.

I am really bad about getting him/her adverbs mixed up....that can be really bad sometimes...expecially when I call a macho type guy "ma'am"
thats never pretty

I dont know why I only do this with gender-related words though, go figure.

However I do this thing where I talking then totally forget what the hell I am talking about, mid sentance...that is the weirdest sensation.

Jojo

Had that happen to me the other day. (Not the macho type thing. The "ma'am" thing.) I just kind of glanced at the lady briefly, then ignored it and moved on. Still not sure "why" she said it, but now realize it could've just been a simple mistake. At the time I was thinking things like, "Do I need a haircut THAT bad?!" and "What am I? The BEARDED lady?" (had like a two-day growth thing going at the time.) So, okay. Probably wasn't me. Probably just a mistake on her part.

I do this every day. Luckily what ends up coming out makes others laugh instead of offending them.

And laughter is important. Good attitude!

That happens to me once in a while, too. I'll just say I was having a 'senior moment' or 'brain fart', which usually gets a laugh, and then carry on from there.

The other day I called a black car red, and I called a tree a machine. It's weird. I wasn't thinking those things at all, but they're the words that came out.

Yeah, I've never been made fun of in a mean way for doing it...because I make sure to laugh at myself when it happens, which in turn makes everyone else laugh.