Are you always slower than others?

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Well lucky you. Maybe you don't even have autism.

I am doing botanical work at the moment, and I am slow, clumsy and get very very mentally tired doing it. It sucks. Sometimes I would give anything to be one of those people who are good with their hands. It would make me far more employable.

Physically slow - Yes. It's rare when there's someone who's capable of moving slower. I tend to walk as fast as I can most of the time to keep up with my long-legged friends. XD

Mentally slow - Sometimes. This is only when I'm not really paying attention though so that's my fault. Unless it's timed writings. Even though I'm a writing major, I still struggle with these. Why do you have to rush me? If you rush me, you're going to get a crappy product. So give us a few more minutes or assign it as homework and everyone will benefit. Timing how fast I can write stuff down won't make me a better writer. I like to plan my stuff out. It turns out better that way. Oh well. :/

Yeah, same here. The only time I've ever been able to react quickly is when I'm playing paintball, which is a very fast-moving situation.

My being slow and unable to do well with change cost me a job I was good at and I was working there for 9 years. I have put out over 80 resumes and not one call back or interview.

I don't think it's a question of you being slower than everyone else; it's a case of you going at your own pace. I'm an adult instructor with the Army Cadet Force, and over the summer I had to do a course to get my sergeant stripes. One of the things we had to do was disassemble and reassemble an L98A2. I was getting very frustrated because everyone was managing to do it quicker than I could do it, and I hate people beating me at things. So when we were on a break, I asked one of the regs with us if I could just sit and strip and assemble the weapon a few times, just to get used to it. I knew that I could do it as long as I didn't get flustered, and realised that, because I can be clumsy, I just had to go at my own pace.
I know it sounds like such a banal thing to say, but try not to feel bad because you're 'last' to do things - that's when you start making mistakes, if you feel like you have to keep up with people. You're you - take things at your own pace

My guess is the problem is Dyspraxia, poor motor co-ordination. This is one of the diagnostic criteria in some countries (Gillbergs criteria). I believe in the US it is seen as separate but associated.

When I was a kid it never occurred to me that the fact that I was always the last person getting changed before or after gym was linked to the fact that I was also the worst at doing stuff in the gym. It never occured to any PE teacher either. Now I understand.

I also had problems with handwriting and learning to drive. But I can type and play musical instruments well.

In my case I think it's more of a mental thing than a physical thing.

One thing is I tend to always be thinking or daydreaming. I always had to make an extreme conscious effort not to think about other things while getting dressed for PE class. If I was 100% focused on finding my locker, changing into the proper clothes, etc... I could avoid being tardy. I've always been very "absent minded" which lead to no ends to grief from your typical drill-sergeant-esque meat-head PE teacher.

These days I kind of resent people who are always 100% punctual and "in the moment" of their dull menial lives. I just can't do it. My mind is not the same as theirs. All my childhood I was constantly nagged on for being slow.

Another big issue I have is with filling out paperwork, surveys, or questionnaires. I'm always the slowest to turn mine in and I'm never quite sure why. I think it's just the fact that I have to spend time thinking about the questions before answering while other people seem to just go through it as fast as they can.

For some reason it takes me a lot longer to do things than most people. I especially walk and run much slower than others. Whenever we marched in line at elementary school, the kids behind me got furious with me because I never walked fast enough. Whenever I'm out shopping with my mom, she walks twice as fast I do, and it makes her feel like I'm not following her so she keeps calling my name and telling me to "come on". Once, when I asked someone to demonstrate the way I walked, it appeared to be a slow, almost limping shuffle.

It also takes me a long time to write, because I'm very particular about which words I use. I want them to be perfect. And when I write fiction, I want the storyline to be perfect, so most of the time my ideas never get put on paper because I don't think they're "good enough". In junior high, my creative writing teacher got frustrated with me because it took me about a week to come up with an idea and write a story about it, whereas it only took other kids about two days tops.

I really wish I could keep up with the fast pace of the world, but I just can't. My mind doesn't work at that fast of a pace.

Oh absolutely, I have been working the job I have now (it'll be 2 yrs this June) and on a crew of 6 I'm the lowest paid, certainly not the newest or youngest memeber of the crew and I am by far the slowest to produce.
One of the guys about 2 months ago, made a hurtfull comment to me saying "hey Mike!, this guys been here for 2 weeks. And he runs circles around you.)
I'm 30 (31 in Aug) and I wrote down every job i could recall just to prove a point to my mother.

I've worked at;

Sonic, Abillities unlimited, Family video, Walmart, Exxon, Backyard burgers, Kroger, Dixie Cafe, Ruby Tuesday, Majestic lodge, Cupids, sonic agian, Bulk sak int., Cupids agian, Red lobster, America's best value inn, Bormans Concreate, Rexam, and finally Xpress boats.

My point is Ive been fired from all of them except 4 (including the one Im at now.) Not because I'm lazy or don't want to work, I do more then anyone knows. But like you said I can't really "think on my feet" or make new decisions on the go and I'm worst then useless when in a hurry.

I do however excell in arithmatic, science (Specificly computers, software design and history of machanics and inventors)

Sorry I made it so long, but yes I alog with plenty of other people can relate to you on everything you said. Good luck with your internship.
Happy late Easter.

Michael.

What you're describing sounds like hypothyroidism. Have you been tested for thyroid problems? It's an easy blood test at the doctors to check what your TSH level is. I would recommend getting tested for it!! It could also be Adhd- Inattentive, but I'm not positive. The only reason I say this is because I have those same exact symptoms that you are describing and I was diagnosed with Adhd- Inattentive in college, but two years later (last month actually) I discovered I have hypothroidism from a blood test showing a high TSH level (7.2), which in my case may have similar symptoms or possibly be both conditions. I haven't started medication for it yet, but hopefully it will be an easy transition! Also if your TSH is between 3 and 5 they may not consider it hypothyroidism because there is controversy over where it technically is classified as hypo or normal, but if you are in that range or above it I think hypothyroid medication would probably be beneficial, especially hearing your symptoms, if you do have it.

Marshall I am a parent of an AS child and I have that problem myself but I don't think people notice that I take longer. I have a feeling this is the case for you as well. Being a lingerer is something I never hear anybody being criticized about. People will criticise for other things but never that. I think they are just too busy talking when leaving a meeting to notice that somebody is still packing up.

And I was reading some of the comments about not being able to think on your feet. I don't know if this helps but, when I work, I actually carry checklists around on index cards on what I am supposed to do at certain points and time because my recall is terrible. I'm a fast reader so I just have to glance at the card then I am good. Nobody has every caught me with the cards, they hide well, so I've never had to explain them. But I am much quicker with them and I don't get stuck on what I am supposed to do.

Last edited by Gnomey on 30 May 2014, 7:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

<-- hermit turtle

Either I am so fast that they cannot keep up or I am soooo slow I can't learn anything for weeks.

Most likely the latter.

This isn't nearly so much of a problem these days, but when I was a child, and all the way through to my young adulthood, it seemed constant. Last to line up, last to get through a door, last to board a bus or to get off one, etc. I never could really understand why I seemed to be the slowest, since I was also walking, grabbing objects, or putting things away at the same pace as others. Somehow though I also ended up being at the back of any line or the last left in a room. When I think it over as I type this reply out, it seems I did not really understand exactly how the whole social co-operation of people forward in groups actually worked properly. In the case of getting off a bus, I just never really worked out how to join in a moving line of people in a narrow isle, without cutting someone off or being pushed, or bumping someone with a bag and causing an annoyance. As for the quick packing up of a book-bag or something, I think I was just overly particular about having everything just right in a way that nothing would get dropped, since I've always been more likely than most to drop things from a bag or my hands. (Then of course there is always time spent picking up the things I did drop anyway.)

I'm quite a bit better at the group of people all moving forward to one place, thing now. But I was already in my 20s when I really started to get it, and I'm still not the best at it and still fall behind sometimes now. I just tend to keep track of where the rest ar actually going so I can catch 'em in a minute if I do end up that last one in a room. Really it's only ever a minute or two at most and I cant imagine people would actually notice anyway.

I definitely have some information processing issues and am inattentive, forgetful and a bit clumsy. I seem to even fool myself in thinking I'm less intelligent than I am.

I have very inconsistent energy levels too. I can have a surplus of energy to suddenly becoming empty. All this affects my executive functions.

I was going to say something else but my brain is too damn slow right now.