Ever have trouble putting thoughts into words?

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17 May 2014, 8:12 pm

I'm fairly certain that this is a common thing for people on the spectrum. I know I often have problems with it, like I'll think of something and I'll have a somewhat clear mental image of it, but I will have a hard time coming up with the words to describe it, or how I can put those words into a form that will make sense to other people. It's a little bit easier to deal with when I'm writing something than it is when I am speaking, but it can still be quite difficult in the former case.

kraftiekortie
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17 May 2014, 8:15 pm

All the time.

StarsInMyMargarita
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17 May 2014, 8:59 pm

I was thinking about this after a customer at work yelled at me. He completely misunderstood, and as he was screaming I knew what point I had to make to make him stop, but I just didn't know how to say it. So he got away with screaming at me like I was an idiot. It's very frustrating.

I also find it's easier to write out, maybe because I don't have to try to remember what I've already said. Maybe because I'm not overwhelmed and rushed, so there's more time for thoughts to "translate." But since I don't get a reaction like I would if I were talking to someone, I have no idea how much of it actually makes sense. I have to read through it a couple times to completely untangle it.
If I try to just babble it out to myself, there's a lot of silence and "ums" and correcting and repeating. I've never listened to a recording, so I don't know if I make my point or not.

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17 May 2014, 9:00 pm

Every day.

Ann2011
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17 May 2014, 9:08 pm

Me too. With just about every verbal communication I have.

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17 May 2014, 9:15 pm

Yes.

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17 May 2014, 9:20 pm

Yes I do, and it is also easier for me in writing than explaining verbally (but even in writing it is not necessarily easy, it depends). People got mad at me so many times because they misunderstood what I meant.

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17 May 2014, 9:34 pm

Usually writing is easier, but sometimes is just as hard.

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17 May 2014, 9:38 pm

Yes! I have been known to flail around verbally quite a bit.

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17 May 2014, 10:02 pm

Yes.

I'm pretty sure it's normal, though. I've heard NTs say they experience the same thing, at times.

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17 May 2014, 10:05 pm

SammichEater wrote:

Yes.

I'm pretty sure it's normal, though. I've heard NTs say they experience the same thing, at times.

But I don' think they experience it quite as often as we do, I might have that every other day if not more and sometimes a few times in a day or even a few times in a conversation.

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Verdandi
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17 May 2014, 10:30 pm

SammichEater wrote:

Yes.

I'm pretty sure it's normal, though. I've heard NTs say they experience the same thing, at times.

Something that anyone can have, but far far more typical of autism.

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18 May 2014, 12:06 am

To help a bit, I've been reading about formal thought disorders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18297385

Quote:

This study investigated whether children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) exhibit formal thought disorder (FTD), and whether this is related to ASD symptoms, executive control, and anxiety. Participants aged 8-17 with ASDs exhibited significantly more illogical thinking and loose associations than matched typically developing control subjects. In participants with ASDs, illogical thinking was related to aspects of cognitive functioning and to executive control. Loose associations were related to autism communication symptoms and to parent reports of stress and anxiety. When FTD is present in ASDs, it generally is not a co-morbid schizophrenia symptom, but is related to pragmatic language abnormalities found in ASDs. The clinical and neurobiological significance of this work is discussed.

http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/forma ... -disorder/

The descriptions are not specifically about autism, but they reflect ways that verbal communication can be more difficult for autistic people.

mr_bigmouth_502
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18 May 2014, 12:19 am

Verdandi wrote:

To help a bit, I've been reading about formal thought disorders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18297385

Quote:

http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/forma ... -disorder/

The descriptions are not specifically about autism, but they reflect ways that verbal communication can be more difficult for autistic people.

Interesting. I can identify with this, as I've had times where I would just start writing or speaking in a "stream of consciousness" sort of manner where ideas would just spill out in a constant flow without any real organization, and I would just ramble on and go on semi-related tangents until I lost focus of the main idea.

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18 May 2014, 12:24 am

Yes, There's been times where I'm making a post on Facebook and half way through a message I decide to delete it...same can be said for this site I want to say something I want it to be as legible as possible but it's like my mind isn't communicating and shuts down if you will thus leaving me flustered and wanting to delete the whole f'ing message I really have to think hard and try to put my thoughts into proper words. and sometimes it SUCKS!

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em_tsuj
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18 May 2014, 1:04 am

I have problems with this, and it seems that my verbal communication is getting worse...unless I am talking about a special interest.

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