Is it possible to have aspergers and NOT be monotone:?

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I have most of the symptoms for asd, poor social skills, limited empathy,obsessions, even echoloia at times. However I dont speak in monotone and I can usually look people in the eye, although sometimes it comes off as staring, A lot of people say since my voice isnt monotone I'm probably not really aspergers. Is there anyone else with this condition who does not speak in monotone?

Btw: I do remember I used to speak in monotone but stopped by the time I was 17 or so? maybe I just learned it was weird and trained my voice to show emotion, is that possible?

I do not speak in a monotone, and I do not remember if I ever did. No one told me I did, anyway. They complained about my mumbling a lot, however, and I guess mumbling often sounds monotonous. The thing is, I have very sensitive hearing, so I can hear myself just fine - but no one else can, apparently. So I have learned to talk louder and clearer because I got tired of people telling me to 'speak up' all the time (taking acting classes helped with that). The downside of this is that on my more sensitive days I sound to myself like I'm half shouting and my ears quickly get overloaded by my own voice, but at least I can make myself understood. So yes, it is definitely possible to learn to speak like a 'normal' person.

Incidentally, I recently watched this video on youtube, where this subject came up (among other things).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqvfsc3 ... F04D731B1A

Same here, I mumbled a lot as a kid but I definitely don't talk in monotone now and I also can't remember if I ever did. I wouldn't get too hung up on any one symptom of Asperger's. I've read plenty of posts from people diagnosed who make eye contact or have no problem with sarcasm or have superb empathy to the point of being an empath. If you seek an assessment and the assessor is highly experienced in autism spectrum disorders, they'll get it right.

no monotone here or in my diagnosed aspie nephew.

You don't have to have every single little symptom to have AS.

Acoustic analysis has shown that autistic people speak with a larger pitch range than NTs.

I dont speak monotone anymore, I trained myself. Although when I was a kid, I used to speak monotone all the time.

Since when was monotone a symptom of AS? :s

boynexdoor77,

I'm guessing you really mean you don't have a problem with what I believe is often referred to as "prosody" in the context of speech oddities among many on the autism spectrum. Specifically you don't believe you speak without the typical variation in intonation that others use.

I don't know that I've seen anything requiring such difficulties for a diagnosis, but in reading characterizations of those on the spectrum I have come across many references to oddities in what can probably be called "prosodic elements." Those would include the functional variations in elements of speech like "pitch/fundamental frequency, loudness/intensity, duration, pause/silence, speech rate and rhythm."

Here is an article that that talks about problems with prosody in autism that I think gives a quick idea of how those problems can present themselves in those on the spectrum. It is a bit old. More solid links between prosody problems and autism may be in newer literature if you take a look around. http://www.cckm.ca/CPSLPR/pdf/McCann2003.pdf

Years ago in college I was video taped conducting an interview (before video cameras became so pervasive.) It was probably the first time I had ever seen myself speaking in my natural voice without consciously putting on an act for the camera. I was astounded at how quiet, slow, and flat my speech was compared to the others in the video. I could recognize the difference quite readily when examining the video critically after the fact, but in the moment, while speaking, I had no perception of a problem. That was a strange experience and was long before I knew anything about Asperger syndrome or prosody.

More recently I was interviewed by a television news crew. When I saw myself on television I was astounded at the fast pace of my speech compared to everyone else and my body language seemed exaggerated. (While motioning with my hand I snagged the cord of my microphone and flung it off my shirt to the ground. Luckily they edited that part out.)

As as kid i were monotonous. I adapted and started bending pitch and learn to emphasise and accentuate speech.

And i've heard NTs speak with monotonous voices as well. It is not a trait unique to Aspergers/Autism. Same goes with speaking in staccato which may have medical and not psychiatric reasons.

I have some aspie friends who don't talk in monotone and definitely have Asperger's otherwise.

autism has many possible symtoms but one doesnt need to have every single symtom.its rare any autistic has every symtom

I don't speak in a monotone voice at all.

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