[cool09]

Incoherent, disorganized thoughts, trouble finding words, etc?

[Mountaindewed]

I have a speech impediment. I knew 2 other people with autism who have speech impediments. Maybe it’s just a coincidence?

I have a hard time projecting my voice. And I talk with a lisp. A lot of the time I end up sort of grunting instead of talking. I can’t help it.

I had a therapist who told me I talked funny and people at work sometimes comment rudely on it.

But still, I’m not all that self conscious about it. It’s the way I’ve always talked. So I always forget about it.

[-jimi-]

I have a hard time regulating how loudly I speak. I actually have had an issue with raising my voice, it's like I just cannot, like speaking to a group. But as my friend's hearing has gotten worse, I have gotten accustomed to speaking louder, and when I need to dial down now for other people, I have no idea how loudly I am supposed to speak.

People claim I explain well and that I am VERY verbal. But I think it is more my thinking that is straight, and when I talk, they make their own puzzle in their heads. Because my speech is very disorganized and I actually pinpointed the reason why. I simply have a hard time talking and thinking at the same time. People say, let's stop texting and talk on the phone instead, it is so much easier. But for me, typing and thinking are compatible, but not speaking and thinking. So they really make things much harder for me.

They don't notice I struggle and I guess talking is something you do all the time so I forget I struggle as well. But I babble a lot when I talk, I know spoken language is broken up and not at all like written language, but my spoken language is worse than most people's. I use loads of annoying filler words. While I am thinking, I suppose. Despite this, people understand me.

There are people with the same issues that have other strategies, a common one is to be silent for a moment before you spit out a full and basically perfect sentence. But the root issue is the same.

Some autistic people have a very formal language with more complex vocabulary, they talk like books. I quite like when people talk like that, but I don't myself. It is more noticeable when kids do it I guess.

Sometimes pitch is also different, some have a sing song type pitch, like overdoing it, some people have a monotonous voice, I know I vary my pitch quite a bit but still people perceive me as somewhat monotonous, actually they seem to like it. I guess it is easy to listen to or something strange like that. But in my own head my voice is choppy, squeaky and quite horrible, sing songy, loud and annoying, so I guess perception plays a part here.

The thing is, people can have very different speech issues on the spectrum. Some are hyper verbal and some are actually not verbal at all, or have a language disorder.

For me, language is my thing and I do quite a bit of writing, also I am quite talented in foreign languages (like English), but I always have this feeling that despite this obvious strength, language is not my language. I am so surprised when people say they think in words. I don't and while I might think in pictures, I mostly think in "feelings" that represent very large chunks of information. I though all people had this inner, personal "language" but people have proven me wrong there.

I'm quite often able to spot an aspie when I hear them talking, but I'm not totally sure what the deal is. It is like they are "faking" or "acting" like they are talking normally, a little rough around the edges maybe. I think I speak like this myself. I don't act or anything, but I guess I'm just not a natural smooth talker. I should also say that lot of aspies fly under my radar with this and to me seem to have totally normal speech as well.

As I have grown older I have learned to put a little emotion in my voice as well. When I need people to understand that I might have a bad day or when talking to doctors. This is total fake though, because I'd rather just use my normal voice even when having deep emotions. But then they don't get it.

[-jimi-]

I also have a strange thing that I don't know if it is asperger related. People laugh at me but it is fine because what I say sounds so completely stupid and impossible. I often mix up opposites. When I want to say up I say down, I mix up he and she, summer and winter, and my "favorite", sigh, yesterday and tomorrow.

I did that already tomorrow.
I will do that yesterday.

Meh, LOL.