occasional inability to speak . . . . .

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does anybody else suffer sometimes from an absolute inability to speak sometimes? i get it occasionally, generally when i am very stressed.

opening my mouth to speak feels like a severe physicl pain- like wrenching off a finger or something, and looking into someone's eyes would feel like my eyes being burnt out.

my posture changes, and i curl over more when i am standing- hunched shoulders, head bent.
i really cant communicate at all, and things feel frightening and impossible. i feel quite locked in,and my mind seems to be pretty shut down too.
it seems to be quite similar to classic autism.

anyone else???

I get that too. It's like any thoughts involving communicating don't make their way across my synapses... Like I can feel the lack of activity in my brain. Anything that comes out is sluggish and grumpy-sounding, or just a few words. It's like I can't form a coherent response. I think it happens to me when I'm stressed too. I shutdown. That's probably the best way of explaining it for me... like a computer whose RAM and HD space is all used up and it takes forever for processes to start and complete. I seem a lot more irritable than usual when this happens, as if I'm reverting further down the spectrum. Explaining something becomes physically uncomfortable. I actually felt this way just a few days ago and was looking for forum posts about it

As others have mentioned elsewhere, it would seem that in response to stress/distress overload, we either meltdown or shutdown.

YEP. I USED to call this part of my meltdowns, but I guess it IS more of a shutdown.

Yes. It happens most often when I am blindsided by something unexpected, such as being accused of something I didn't do or motives I didn't have. I certainly don't put on a very good defense of myself under these circumstances. On the other hand, when I have time to think and prepare, I can emotionally detach myself and be very articulate. It's like my brain sort of sputters, then stalls.

I believe what you are talking about is selective mutism or being dumb.

Sometimes I loose the ability to form words correctly, so it doesn't sound like actual words at all but that only happened a couple times.. But it was humiliating!

happened to me last night...was about to ask my da if he wanted anything for dinner but my thought kept closing up whenever i opened my mouth(he was in next room) so i got up and went in and i was able to ask then..dunno why...was a weird expierience.

Nope.

Yeah, I lose the ability to speak when I'm under extreme stress. Especially emotional distress, and especially if someone is getting in my face trying to force me to respond. I just get stuck and can't move. It's somewhat terrifying.

Had that last night after a night-long meltdown. Was on my own and ended up head-butting walls and the floor. When Macbeth came home from work I didn't/couldn't talk to him because I was so exhausted and drained. It happens. If I try to talk it comes out mumbly and incoherent.

Occasionally, when meeting a stranger or unexpectedly meeting someone I know, I can't say anything. All I can do is nod and smile.

Sometimes I lose the ability to talk. I don't feel pain, my jaws just feel "locked" and I can't utter a word. It happens when I'm really tired and under a lot of stress.

oh cool! thank you all!

this is exactly what id ment... i had wondered if there was some type of catatonia or mute-ness which was variable- like narcoleptics are awake sometimes, asleep others; that was before i heard about a/s, and knew anything much about auism. now im sure its related.

ive also felt my jaw was wired shut, but its also--- as though speaking or even blinking a response would be impossible. hard to explain.
and ive too used the scratch disk is full analogy- its like some kind of stasis- im still running the essentials- heart, liver etc- but mind has really shut down. a small blinking light is all you get.....

i thought a melt down was a more explosive thing- a tantrum? i get really wound ip and feel i want to scream etc, like im about to burst...

anyway, thanks all for answering- as always- good to know you're not alone!

finding about about aspergers feels like meeting identical siblings i was separated from at birth- spooky to find others share the same thoughts, and ways of thinking!