Do you type better than you speak?

Post Reply New Topic

People often say to me "you can't be a moderate functioning autistic as you type so eloquently, you seem high functioning". Yes I am diagnosed HFA but everyone agrees I'm moderate functioning not high functioning.

I type very eloquently. I have great linguistic skills on the keyboard and screen.

But when I speak, my words come out confused and I struggle to say what is in my head. I often go nonvberbal due to the stress of speaking. I often switch words or say something that makes no sense.

I hate speaking.

But I love typing.

Anyone else like this?

Yeah a little better by typing. Sometimes I use the wrong word or similar word for things or get sentences mixed up. It's only mild though.

You and I are so much alike in many ways and I am fully diagnosed level 2 moderate functioning. What you described is basically exactly the same for me. I'm very sure that I have typed by far many more words on forums than I have ever spoken in my life. Although I do sometimes put words out of order when typing. But unlike talking, I can edit until it comes out correctly before posting.

This is me talking:
http://vocaroo.com/i/s0nKUDaQTMW3

That is interesting.

I listened to your recording. My speech comes out at a slightly faster rate than yours but when I speak I speak jargon and my voice is robotic with irregular pausing.

I tried to explain to my support worker that the convection currents from the radiator were carrying the heat to the windows and not the room, so that is why I close the curtains when I put the heating on (very dark prescription sunglasses are enough to block out light so I can keep the curtains open most of the time). But when I tried to explain it, it came out like absolute sh*t and I ended up having to type it on my text to speech app on my phone.

Maybe that's part of why I cannot go to shops, post offices etc without a support worker, not just the sensory overload but also the fact that I struggle with communication and need a facilitator.

Ezra, you type well and I enjoy your posts. But I will never underestimate the reality of your autism. As people have often understimated me online and I know how much stress that can cause.

I find you both very intriguing.

My autistic friend (non-verbal until 6-7 years old) also types better than he speaks, but there is no noticeable discrepancy unless you're paying close attention.

When I am talking to my closest family members, especially my cousin (same age and raised together) I can talk faster, but only they can really understand me clearly. To most others it sounds like gibberish. I always use text when talking to teachers or use my AAC voice machine. Outside of that like ordering food etc, someone in my family, usually my cousin does that for me. People on my forums have said at times "you don't sound autistic" but I always took that to mean I did well for someone with autism rather than them not believing I have it. I'm pretty sure if they saw how I am in real life, how withdrawn and impaired I am, they would probably be shocked.

Yes, I'm exactly the same. I can perfectly type or write whatever is on my mind. But I can never verbally say it the way I intend...It always comes out wrong.

My speech problems aren't as severe as yours, but I definitely do communicate better in writing. I can't express my thoughts perfectly in writing either, but I am definitely more articulate when I have time to think out my response.

I do pretty badly in both. I don't know which is worse. When I speak to people IRL I often get treated dismissively because I'm too slow and off. Writing has never been my strength, either. My life is pretty frustrating.

My ability to communicate is within the confines of written word. My speech often comes out confused and incoherent as well, and I am unable to form coherent sentences spontaneously and I often have those extremely long awkward pauses where I struggle to find the words I want to say. I honestly prefer typing to talking.

I don't love typing but I do type a lot better than I speak.

Yes I do, it's in my diagnostic report.

Reasons:

1. I can edit the written word to improve it, but when I speak, there is only the first draft, which can be pretty naff.

2. My short-term memory (or perhaps my interest in my own ideas) is often so poor that I forget what I was saying before I've made my point, and having it written down helps me to remember.

3. When I speak to people, they often interrupt me as soon as I hesitate, which throws me. It's been a particular problem with competitive opponents such as health professionals, benefits adjudicators and bosses. There seems to be an idea in society that when there's a conflict, people should argue it out verbally like honest, real men instead of hiding behind written stuff and buying time to concoct disingenuous arguments. Our prime minister has been called a coward for refusing to verbally discuss election issues with his opponents on live TV, as if such discussions had anything to do with objectively deciding who to vote for.

4. I often mumble.

5. I'm alone when I type, so I'm more likely to be calm and clear-headed, I can choose a calm time, and I don't have to worry about body language and all the other distractions.


It's hard for me to see that the spoken word has its own advantages, though it does. Theoretically, I can dynamically adapt my verbal stuff to suit the reactions of the listeners, so I don't over-explain, or bore or upset them so much. The spoken word always looks messy to me, and truly it's not often as coherent and clear as the written word, whoever the source is, and I get hung up on that, but messy things seem to make the world go round somehow.

I sometime question my writing/typing skills at time. Typing can be slower then I can talk and the idea that's fresh on my mind can fade rather quickly, if I don't get it out of my head quick enough. I also wonder at times if I'm using punctuation correctly? I know when to use a question and exclamation marks. But I sometimes wonder if I don't know how to use a commas or periods properly. Sometime I feel impatient when I type and try to cut corners, leaving out too much important information in the process.

I hate speaking when I am having a not so great verbal day (or I just cannot speak at all... go mute sometimes). Some days I do okay when speaking. Even on my good days though, I tend to mix up my words and either talk too fast or too slow. I am slow to process what other people are saying and say "what?" to them a lot. I have always preferred writing over talking... gives me time to absorb what is being said to me, gives me a chance to review my words to try to make them topic appropriate... but even with typing, I am never really sure if what I am saying makes sense to anyone but me. I also have days where I cannot make words on a page/screen form. It is the same kind of 'hitting a glass wall in my head' feel I get when I go mute, but with my hands. Communication difficulties are not so problematic for me these days though. That stuff seems to go in cycles for me.

Yes I cannot mispronounce words, lose my train of thought, be unable to think of the right word or word things unclearly as easily when typing. Also it gives more time to think about what you want to say, as well as edit any errors to make it as clear as possible.

And yes I have gotten ignorant assumptions like, because I can type well I should be able to hold a job and don't need to be on SSI...or that I can't really have anything more than a slight 'touch' of autism because I guess I am supposed to type like I don't know what grammar is in order to have autism.

If regarding my mother language then I speak better than I type but other languages I type better than I speak.