Aspies and good hearing ?

[DylanKP]

My issue is probably genetic, but unless i can see someone's mouth AND hear the words, I can't understand them. I need my glasses to hear.

 

[Axeman52]

I wouldn't say I have necessarily "good" hearing - It's probably been damaged by all the loud music I play, but I think I do have particularly sensitive hearing, as well as a natural tendency to pay attention to the details within music or just all the everyday sound that's going on around me, which makes people perceive me as having very good hearing.

My eyes are even more sensitive than my ears, though. 'too sensitive' is an understatement. Sometimes I have to wear sunglasses when using my computer, even though I've put the screen on the darkest tolerable setting - today is slowly turning into one of those days, actually.

 

[Autism]

Oh my gosh that is how I am too. Many times the white computer screen is so blinding. I look like a fool going into a supermarket wearing my huge sunglasses and hat, but the lights are so blaring it hurts my senses.

 

[buckyboy14]

I can't decipher song lyrics at all, no matter how hard I try. I can put the speaker of my iPad right up to my ear and still not make out the lyrics. People ask me why I'm not into music, and this is probably one of the reasons why. It would be nice to know what a song is actually about.

 

[Axeman52]

I can't decipher song lyrics at all, no matter how hard I try. I can put the speaker of my iPad right up to my ear and still not make out the lyrics. People ask me why I'm not into music, and this is probably one of the reasons why. It would be nice to know what a song is actually about.

Believe me, knowing the lyrics doesn't necessarily make it easier to know what a song is about. Especially if you have as much of a hard time deciphering the meaning of creative metaphors as I do.

Like the chorus to Steely Dan's Reelin' in the Years:

Are you reelin' in the years
Stowin' away the time
Are you gathering up the tears
Have you had enough of mine

I can't even begin to decipher what that's supposed to mean, it doesn't make any literal sense, but 4 years ago at University I learned that quite often, lyrics exist primarily for their musical effect (the sound and the rhythm of the words and how they flow into one another) rather than their literal meaning, and just as often they are designed to lead the listener to his or her own interpretation of what they mean, too. That completely changed the way I view lyrics. But didn't really help me to get any better at writing them...

 

[Flower44590]

Ha! I SO get this!!! I like the captions on when I watch tv. I have excellent hearing, but it's much easier for me to read the words. I wish real life had captions.

 

[anthoskate]

Ha! I SO get this!!! I like the captions on when I watch tv. I have excellent hearing, but it's much easier for me to read the words. I wish real life had captions.

Maybe real life will have captions or even translations of different languages when google glass or something similar comes out.

 

[zurb]

My family often complained about my hearing, but we never found a problem with any testing. In fact, I thought my hearing was pretty good. When I was young, I hated the high pitched sound that vacuum tubes (like in TVs) made. At the other end of the spectrum, I hated the low frequency resonance that occurred whenever someone cracked open a back window when I was driving. No one else could understand as they couldn't hear either noise.

I think my family's issue was more one of focus (on something else) and inability to separate noises from each other. Hated it when teachers tried to make us identity musical instruments used in an orchestral recording.

As for lyrics, I once sold a CD I'd won as it made no sense at all to me no matter how long I tried. Buyer couldn't believe I'd part with such a popular CD. I prefer songs that make sense or tell a story.

I recently compared my hearing to my kids' using an ipad app. I've aged and don't get the higher end anymore.

 

[Thea]

It's not just hearing, I seem to have got a dose of hypersensitivity for all 5 senses. People frequently ask me "how can you read that so far away?". I dislike banana and I once smelled one across a crowded lecture theatre before the person even started peeling it.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I know i have sensitive hearing. The ten year old i babysit always tells me how I have the tv turned down low when, to me, its up at a good, somewhat high volume. The ten year old and her baby brother's parents turn the tv up every time they come home, like it was turned down, as well.

 

[Raggerty]

God yes.
I thankfully live in a rural environment as other people making noise drives me nuts.
Living in a terraced house nearly drove me insane.
But it's the usual story of being deaf to conversations in public places.
I have to cup my ear to hear what someone sitting next to me is saying as all i hear is white noise.

 

[CJinherPJs]

My hearing is very sensitive; "like a bat", apparently. I can still hear the "mosquito" noise that some shops use to deter groups of kids from hanging around, and am aware of other high-pitched sounds that most people around me can't hear. However, I do often find myself having to ask people to repeat themselves if they talk too fast. It's almost as if their words are joined together into one big, incomprehensible slur, so I often mishear what they've said.

Also, and I know it sounds strange, but I can sometimes "feel" sounds. For example, hearing high-pitched electrical noises feels to me like a laser beam burning through my head from ear to ear.

 

[Thea]

I know how you both feel. It's a pain because it extends to not being able to block out repetitive annoying sounds like the guy whistling on the bus or the ticking sound the indicator on my Mum's car makes when it's on. I have to turn my music up and put in headphones so I don't go mad.

 

[CJinherPJs]

I also have a problem with not being able to block out background noise. It's why I find it difficult to study in my university's library; I can't concentrate on my work if I happen to overhear other people's conversations. No matter that my work is far more important than hearing about who slept with who, who's a total b*tch and what have you, I can't switch off to it. Luckily though we also have a quiet study area, which I prefer.

My parents bought me a small clock for my bedroom about five years ago. I still have it, but I started keeping it in the drawer because the ticking was driving me mad, especially when studying or trying to sleep. It's within easy reach though, so I can still check the time without being bothered by the incessant ticking.

 

[aj]

I also have a problem with not being able to block out background noise. It's why I find it difficult to study in my university's library; I can't concentrate on my work if I happen to overhear other people's conversations. No matter that my work is far more important than hearing about who slept with who, who's a total b*tch and what have you, I can't switch off to it. Luckily though we also have a quiet study area, which I prefer.

My parents bought me a small clock for my bedroom about five years ago. I still have it, but I started keeping it in the drawer because the ticking was driving me mad, especially when studying or trying to sleep. It's within easy reach though, so I can still check the time without being bothered by the incessant ticking.

I am similar to this. I hear allot of high pitch noises almost all the time. I forget what it is called, my hearing is sensitive and high pitch noises really annoys me. My worst enemy of noise is a kango which is what they use to break concrete. I use to work with my dad in building and he used it once and i walked into the bathroom and put my hands over my ears. I too use to have a clock but never use it due to that ticking. If I'm trying to think and theres noises it makes it harder and annoys me. I have been trying to listen to my colleagues chatting all at once and this really bugged me. I couldn't understand due to one would interrupt and then laughing i really cant hear what they're saying, so much was happening for me to even hear a word out of them. I normally just sit out the way and look at the moon or the signs. I try see if the stars are out but mostly the clouds are in the way. I do love looking at the stars when its a clear night, i remember i sat outside my friends house just staring at the night sky for 20 minutes. It was so quiet too and just a beautiful moment.

 

[Sem]

Oh my god YES, when I was a kid I'd hide inside when the neighbors would fire off fireworks, even though I really wanted to see them. It sucked.
I'm more able to deal with it now, but I still can't go to a gun range and I always have to brace myself if I know a loud noise is about to happen.
Does anyone else get a horrible feeling of impending disaster when surrounded by unbearably loud, ongoing noise? Sometimes I have to leave a situation because I can get awful false "premonitions" of something deadly happening in the midst of the cacophony, to the point that I'm convinced it'll happen. (it never does)

I've always thought I had bad hearing despite being able to hear entire conversations in other rooms, all because I often have a hard time understanding people when they talk to me. Now I'm realizing that it's not that I'm not hearing things, I'm just not able to process them correctly sometimes.

I have the same exact problem! I can hear all kinds of stuff far away, and then sitting with someone, have to ask them to repeat them selves. I can't put the sounds and words together correctly . . .

 

[AsIstAga]

Please please please tell me that you dislike fireworks as much as me?!? Good god, the 4th of July is the worst holiday. It is my nemesis. It seems to come so goddamn quick every year, too. My earliest memory is being scared by the loudness of fireworks. People have made fun of me my whole life for being afraid of fireworks, but I'm not afraid of them! I just never knew how to explain it. Once I realized that I had Aspergers, literally everything made sense. And it's not just fireworks, it's guns, explosions, balloons popping, loud movies in theaters.

I have the same over sensitive hearing...but if you are around people you love, and at maybe a safe distance...you can hear less noise but enjoy the visuals! (maybe another option...I remember one year as I was traveling for work I was alone in my car, my favorite music playing loudly...comfortable loud noise...and I past by at least 7 different displays! It was the best!) hope these suggestions help.

 

[zurb]

How about aspies and good eyesight?
A couple of times I've had my eyes checked because I thought they were blurry (once cos I hit my eye with a rubber band) only to be told they were normal or better. Other times at a general checkup they might ask to read the middle line, and I want to say let's start at the top line? I hate to imagine what 'normal' sight is like but I guess if you've never known better you don't miss anything.

On the other hand, on a standard E test chart, they typically ask what direction it's pointing. That question has never made sense to me.

 

[Judge]

How about aspies and good eyesight?

Only between the ages of 10 and 22! Otherwise forget it....at least in my case.

 

[SameStars]

I'm not sure if my hearing is really better, or if I'm just bad at filtering out sounds that other people don't seem to notice.