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LabPet
Phoenix
Joined: Jan 05, 2007
Posts: 1803
Location: Alaska
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 Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:19 am Post subject: Embarrassing Autism Moment (Irreversible) |
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At the University I teach 2 chem lab session to fund my grad program tuition. I LOVE chemistry and even might like teaching lab - lab is my home.
Anyway, the embarrassing moment. I had a TA meeting with the lab coordinator. I am familiar with this experiment but we do all do a quick rehearsal beforehand to collaborate. Lab coordinator asked me read the next step since she wasn't sure and wanted to clarify.
I did read. Then, Lab coordinator had to be more specific with me (I do take instruction literally) - I am to read ALOUD. Then she said, I guess to lighten the embarrassing moment around others, "I meant read aloud, I am not a mind-reader."
I read the passage aloud and tried to pretend that did not happen. But it did. I guess, in retrospect, this might be kind of funny but at the time I was embarrassed. Don't know what other TAs thought (I'm not a mind-reader)!
There's no 'undoing' my stupid 'Autistic Moments.' Disturbing.
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same nightmare, different nap
Lab Pet, therapist slayer
Lab Pet's video: Autism is Synonymous with Science: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYelVlA7kDw |
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spudnik
Ain't I a Stinker
Joined: Feb 20, 2008
Posts: 3775
Location: Calgary, Alberta Canada
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:31 am Post subject: |
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I had something like that happen to me in class, I normally talk very quietly, and I was told be
the instructor to speak louder, well I only have 2 volume settings, whisper, and squeaky loud. 
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LabPet
Phoenix
Joined: Jan 05, 2007
Posts: 1803
Location: Alaska
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:37 am Post subject: |
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I am quiet too, but I was reading the manual in my mind, not speaking. I guess I missed the entire intent of the question....sigh.
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same nightmare, different nap
Lab Pet, therapist slayer
Lab Pet's video: Autism is Synonymous with Science: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYelVlA7kDw |
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Aurore
Dingo Lycanthrope
Joined: Dec 07, 2007
Age: 18
Posts: 1192
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 1:47 am Post subject: |
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The same thing happened to me in my Psychology class. It was one of those 'why can't the earth open up and swallow me on the spot moments'.
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"The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls..." |
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dougn
Toucan
Joined: Aug 20, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 285
Location: Long Island, NY, USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:14 am Post subject: |
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If someone tells me to read something, I would generally not assume they mean to read it aloud.
Do you really think non-autistic people would never make the same mistake? |
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donkey
we have met the enemy, he is us.
Joined: May 22, 2006
Age: 37
Posts: 1478
Location: ireland
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 4:38 am Post subject: Re: Embarrassing Autism Moment (Irreversible) |
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| LabPet wrote: |
There's no 'undoing' my stupid 'Autistic Moments.' Disturbing. |
yes the pain of awkward AS moments........used to happen to me all the time, in fact they still happen and pain me.
the difference between now and then is that i accept that i do this sometimes.
the pain is still there but it doesnt hurt anymore, and THAT is the difference for me.
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ToughDiamond
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 16, 2008
Age: 55
Posts: 459
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:35 am Post subject: |
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I've felt that way. I still blush when I think about some of the gaffes I've made. But you could be overestimating the importance of the mistake. I tend to expect never to be forgiven (had a lot of that in childhood), but people often prove me wrong.
I managed to give a scientific talk in front of a large group of colleagues a few years ago. I think I made it OK, though it was scary - felt like I was talking into a black hole, I got a strange choking sensation that must have been purely psychological.
I'm lucky to have developed my voice through years of singing practice, though the spoken word is still much harder, and it's a big effort to put intonation into it rather than mumbling, at least for long periods of time or when I'm not sure whether I dare speak. I seem to do fairly well in that respect with people around, and can sound quite good rehearsing alone, but when recording alone into a dictaphone, I've never been able to do anything but mumble 
Having a normally quiet talking voice does thin out the chances of being heard. It's as if the world is slightly deaf for much of the time. I sometimes toy with the idea of taking elocution lessons. |
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Kelsi
Phoenix
Joined: Jun 23, 2007
Posts: 643
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 5:54 am Post subject: |
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| Well I don't get embarassed about moments like that anymore. I get angry instead - why the hell can't they be more specific and say what they mean? I think of it as being extremely ethnocentric, because if they were speaking to a person from another culture, that person would probably take them literally too. |
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AngelUndercover
Velociraptor
Joined: Dec 03, 2006
Age: 22
Posts: 401
Location: somewhere else
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:21 am Post subject: |
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I hate when I don't understand what somebody means, and it's something that they assume should have been obvious.
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ToughDiamond
Velociraptor
Joined: Sep 16, 2008
Age: 55
Posts: 459
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 6:52 am Post subject: |
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| Kelsi wrote: | | I think of it as being extremely ethnocentric, because if they were speaking to a person from another culture, that person would probably take them literally too. |
Yes I'm sure it's the same process. |
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Atomsk
Sea Gull
Joined: Apr 10, 2008
Age: 19
Posts: 231
Location: Anchorage, AK
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:10 am Post subject: |
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I had a REALLY embarassing moment recently. I was talking about something with someone I know around the Uni. I say some mother joke or something, he says something along the lines of "thats a really touchy subject for me, just refrain from saying mother stuff like that" but I think he's kidding, and only after going on for a little bit do I realize he was serious and appologize  . |
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Taly
Pileated woodpecker
Joined: Sep 23, 2008
Posts: 181
Location: Rain Forest
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:16 am Post subject: Re: Embarrassing Autism Moment (Irreversible) |
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| donkey wrote: | | LabPet wrote: |
There's no 'undoing' my stupid 'Autistic Moments.' Disturbing. |
yes the pain of awkward AS moments........used to happen to me all the time, in fact they still happen and pain me.
the difference between now and then is that i accept that i do this sometimes.
the pain is still there but it doesnt hurt anymore, and THAT is the difference for me. |
It doesn't hurt anymore. That's something I have learned. Anyway I've been watching myself in order to not get caught anymore. |
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Esther
Hummingbird
Joined: May 17, 2008
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 9:58 am Post subject: |
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I'm NT and I would have thought two things in this situation:
1. I would have clarified and said, "You mean out loud?"
or
2. I would have read the instruction to myself first and then said to the group, "OK. The next step says to..."
*********************
I get myself into embarrassing situations as well, LabPet. I find that the best way is to laugh it off and make a joke. Most of the time, the people end up laughing with me. |
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Anemone
Phoenix
Joined: Mar 18, 2008
Age: 43
Posts: 790
Location: Vancouver, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 12:34 pm Post subject: |
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LabPet, that happened to me in French class in high school. I can't remember if anyone laughed or not. There have been so many embarrassing moments like that over the years. That one wasn't one of the worst.
There was the time when four of us (in high school) were getting coffee/hot chocolate at a café, and the person next to me got a square of chocolate with his coffee. I thought "he's a guy, guys don't eat chocolate, he won't want it" and then found myself saying out loud "who gets the chocolate?" Oops! He said "yes, the person to the left of the person who gets the coffee always gets the chocolate", laughing it off. Someone else called me greedy, and after that I kept my mouth shut more.
I think it depends partly on how other people handle it when it happens. |
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ethos
Tufted Titmouse
Joined: Sep 27, 2008
Posts: 33
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| Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2008 2:03 pm Post subject: |
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I'm sure some of your collegues thought you did it on purpose or that it was cute and funny.
We all do something silly like that every once and awhile. Nothing to be ashamed of.  |
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