absent-minded

Are peoples with asperger more absent-minded than non-aspergers?
For an example, you get a task, and you do the work wrong because you missed/didn't notice things, and that happen a lot.

I have absolutely no idea if it can be associated with asperger, but that's why I ask

I don't know if it's directly related to AS; but if I get verbal instructions I will often miss a few points or get the order confused. Now, I make sure that all instructions are written down, hopefully by the person giving them so that I know they are correct. Sometimes I literally won't hear something or what I hear doesn't make any sense, especially if there is other noise and commotion going on around me at the time.

At other times, if the task isn't interesting to me at all, my mind starts to wander and I can skip a step or two before I notice. I try really hard to focus on what I'm doing when I have to do something I'm not interested in because I hate to have to keep going back and starting over.

plicketycat wrote:I don't know if it's directly related to AS; but if I get verbal instructions I will often miss a few points or get the order confused. Now, I make sure that all instructions are written down, hopefully by the person giving them so that I know they are correct.

This is exactly what I suffers by, I find it very hard to follow instructions when it's verbal, and get confused with orders and that.

When I was in school, I had hard times to listen to the teachers and I always messed everything up (as well as I suck at planning).

Also since I have more or less asperger, I have been wondering if that is due to that.

plicketycat wrote:At other times, if the task isn't interesting to me at all, my mind starts to wander and I can skip a step or two before I notice. I try really hard to focus on what I'm doing when I have to do something I'm not interested in because I hate to have to keep going back and starting over.

Same here.

Understanding and remembering verbal instructions and information seems to be a common difficulty for many people with Aspergers.

If there is a lot going on around me, I find it very difficult to concentrate on a single thread (the person talking). Sometimes some external noise will cut in on what they are saying and obliterate it... almost like radio interference. Other times, even though I can hear that they are talking, I can't make sense of the sounds... the syllables just don't make recognizable words and it just sounds like "blah blah-blah blah blah-blah". It's frustrating to ask them to repeat themselves, especially if it isn't any better the second time around.

I've found that when I need to have a serious conversation with someone about something important, I have to turn off the TV or radio, be in a quiet place, and (preferably) dim the lights.

I do recognize much of what you are saying.

Radio and TV however, may be an interrupt for also non-aspergers I guess, but it's not impossible that aspergers find it extra hard to concentrate with radio and TV in the background, I guess.

The radio actually works well for me in any subject/hobby other than essay writing or learning how to play a song.
I ponder over the verbal instructions if they are short. If they are long then it is usually lost on me because I don't have the attention to listen to most things. Reading long posts can also be this way, but I do a lot more of that than listening to speeches. I prefer to pay attention to nonverbal communication than what is being said. I do not have to listen as much as I have to read, but it is quite possible both got better with age for me.

Is this what You're talking about, Nikk2009: I sometimes raed a few pages of a book but then realise that I don't remember a single thing about what I've just read; and I then sometimes go back to read over it again. I also do this with studying college notes, and - yeh - while watching TV.

It's as if our brains struggle to simply memorise things. You know what though? - It's been 'proven' that people on the Autism Spectrum have trouble creating memories (i.e. - connecting different neurons in the brain).

Chucky wrote:Is this what You're talking about, Nikk2009: I sometimes raed a few pages of a book but then realise that I don't remember a single thing about what I've just read; and I then sometimes go back to read over it again. I also do this with studying college notes, and - yeh - while watching TV.

It's as if our brains struggle to simply memorise things. You know what though? - It's been 'proven' that people on the Autism Spectrum have trouble creating memories (i.e. - connecting different neurons in the brain).

I rarely read books, but when I do, I read very slow since I need to concentrate much.
Sometimes I don't remember what I readed and need to go back and read it again, I don't forget as much as pages (of what I can remember), but I need to go back and read sentences and paragraphs again, from time to time.

I have never reading a book with a radio or TV on, but I sometimes forget what I read because I may have other thoughts in my head.

But also, reading is a skill, since I read books rarely, it may be extra hard for me to read the times I try.

Yes, I remember that I only started to concentrate hard while reading when I was 17 or 18. Before then, I was only picking-up around 50% of what I was reading. This obviously affected my school grades, but I have proven to myself now that I am intelligent because I get great grades at college. it just takes a lot of concentration.

Of course, these 'lapses' in concentration are also tied-into the fact that we are poor communicators. Like, while talking to people, we are also absent-minded.

Chucky wrote:This obviously affected my school grades, but I have proven to myself now that I am intelligent because I get great grades at college. it just takes a lot of concentration.

I got pretty terrible grades, much because I had hard time to understand and remember what my teachers said, as well I can't plan things and find it hard to take responsibility.
I didn't even got a complete grade when I took my examination.

But I got the highest and greatest grade in a specific subject.

Chucky wrote:Of course, these 'lapses' in concentration are also tied-into the fact that we are poor communicators. Like, while talking to people, we are also absent-minded.

Ye, probably.