Auditory Processing Problems
âą *someone says something* âwhat?â *repeats themselves* âsorry?â *repeats themselves again* âpardon?â
âą"hey, y'see the red thing at the top of the shelf, will you get it?â âSorry, what?â âOn the sh-â âoh yeah sure, Iâll get it.â
âą*doesnât hear teacher because someoneâs pen is making a scratchy sound at the back of the room*
âą*replays video 10 ten times to figure out what theyâre saying*
âąteachers asking, âwhy do you always stop writing in the middle of a sentence, just write down whatever Iâm saying,â followed by the response, âIâm just processing it,â rebuked by, âweâll stop processing it and just write.â
âą*gets really focused on staring out the window and goes through four songs without hearing a single on*
someone is whispering to their friends in the library, you donât even know who this person is but you know their major, what state they grew up in, and their hobbies during high school. you just wanted to find a quiet spot to do your chemistry homework.
wanting to chime in on other peopleâs conversations all the time, but donât, because youâre not suppose to be âlisteningâ to them.
being the only person in the house that can hear that awful buzzing sound certain electronics make
hiding in your room because everything is too loud.Â
motorcycles were invented by satan
being told that you have dog-like hearing by friends and family
being yelled at for ânot listeningâ by friends and family.Â
God. God. God. God.
This entire post is so fucking relatable it hurts
âYou just need to learn to tune it out.â
Forgetting how to think because ambient noise is drowning out your internal monologue.Â
âNo, I donât need the volume up, Iâd just really like to put on subtitles. No, I donât need to move closer, I justâŠâ
Leaving the room whenever someone starts talking on the phone.Â
Pausing your video whenever someone starts talking but trying really really hard not to seem passive aggressive about it.Â
Struggling to explain why this one sound is the most horrible thing in the world while other very similar sounds are fine.Â
youâre trying to listen to what some very important person is trying to say, but you can only focus on the conversations of the ppl around you
sitting in a restaurant and thinking the people sitting next to you are being SO loud because you can hear everything theyâre saying, but when you mention it you get weird looks so obviously youâre just overreacting.
not being able to handle the little keyboard sounds as your mom types a text from across the room, but when you ask your mom (who is a quadruple texter) to put her phone on silent you get a murderous look, like youâve asked her to kill her cat.
turning on ambient noises and trying to relax, only to end up turning it off because itâs not actually helping you fall asleep.
âthe speakers are making this high pitched noiseâ
âwhat the hell are you talking about?â
âTHE SPEAKERS ARE PRACTICALLY SCREAMING HOW DO YOU NOT HEAR THAT??â
âJust ignore it, and focus on the show.â
people telling me âhow the fuck can you hear the wall clock ticking but not understand a word im saying when im talking to you??â (i swear iâm not ignoring you, i just canât process your words)
and the absolute kicker: it took me nearly three decades of life to realise that all of the above meant I had an auditory processing disorder because, quite frankly, it isnât discussed enough. and by enough, i mean at all.
I⊠experienced way too many of these not to be stunned right now.
IâŠam I?âŠIâd answer allot of questionsâŠ.shit
a few things i do that help me! may or may not be practical for you, but canât hurt to share
carry earplugs everywhere. i got a bottle of like 40 pairs on amazon for $6. i have a pair in my wallet, my bags, my pocket, etc
they come in different degrees of softnessâsofter ones let you dull sharp sounds while also letting you listen to lectures/carry on conversations.Â
heavy pairs ones can block out most sounds when you really need silence
donât underestimate the usefulness of wearing just one. sometimes iâll wear only one earplug when iâm sleeping and worried about missing my alarm
spend time alone in silence when you can get it. iâve noticed my ability to function in public goes hand in hand with being able to have regular ârecoveryâ time.Â
find a handful of songs you can listen to on repeat without really noticing.Â
asmr videos as ambient noise. find what works for you. i like crinkling.
honestly, choosing the right background noise is so useful
along that note, cheap wireless earbuds are easy to hide in your hair/under a hoodie/scarf. iâve worn them in class.Â
iâm on medication for my sensory issues. certain medications commonly used to treat anxiety can also help w/ sensory processing issues! if you can, talk to your doctor.
i donât hear people talking about this much, which surprises me. my medication is used âas neededâ and has saved me several times from public shutdowns/meltdowns. equally importantly, itâs improved my ability to function day-to-day
unrelated but hilarious: i just got a new thing of earplugs and theyâre literally âsealed for freshnessâ
add your own!
Oh gods, anyone else remember the sound of an old CRT TV on mute? Iâm the only one in my family who could hear it.
And yeah, auditory processing disorders are really common with ADHD, so thatâs probably where a lot of my idiosyncrasies come from.
