Don’t Rush Me! I Need Time to Process My Thoughts! (Autism and Processing Time)

Don’t rush me! I need time to process my thoughts! They say the best thing you can give an autistic person is time. Give me time for my autistic thoughts and don’t rush me when I’m thinking. When someone asks me a question and I don’t answer right away, people tend to ask me again without waiting. This leads to feelings of overwhelm and makes it harder for me to think. In this video I share my thoughts on different ways autistic people take time to process information.

🎞️Timestamps:
0:00 Introduction
3:18 The quality of response is much higher when there is enough time
4:34 The key to determining the appropriate speed
6:00 Different types of efficiency and speed
8:38 Remember, it’s a process
9:58 The advocacy perspective of giving time to process
12:50 The message of this video

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👋Welcome to Autism From The Inside!!!

If you're autistic or think you or someone you love might be on the autism spectrum, this channel is for you!
I'm Paul Micallef, and I discovered my own autism at age 30.

Yes, I know, I don't look autistic. That's exactly why I started this channel in the first place because if I didn't show you, you would never know.

Autism affects many (if not all!) aspects of our lives, so on this channel, I want to show you what Autism looks like in real people and give you some insight into what's happening for us on the inside. We'll break down myths and misconceptions, discuss how to embrace autism and live well, and share what it's like to be an autistic person.

Join me as I share what I've found along my journey, so you don't have to learn it the hard way.

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Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy my channel!

Peace,

~ Paul

#autism #asd #autismawareness

[jliller]

Having ASD and ADHD is the feeling of erratically alternating between "things are happening way too fast" and "everyone else is so slow." An unstable oscillation between "I am overwhelmed" and "I am overwhelming."

[jessicadora]

So looking forward to this. When people rush me, that is the Worst! And it has the opposite effect. When I am rushed, the feeling slows me down.

[jessicadora]

"You can't rush the river" Best One!

[jfdc]

Wow, 30 seconds pause before having to respond! What a relief! I want to move there😂

[christsgrain]

Thankyou Paul, yes once again a super valuable video. Your tip re different processing speeds for others compared to ourselves was also super helpful...we need more time for some things, while others need more time for different things 😊❤...differing processing times for one another...and we all need acceptance

[username]

Being rushed is one of the worst things, I sometimes have stress dreams about being rushed.
Love the 30-second response time with the tribe. Must make conversations much less stressful and more meaningful.

[johngriffith]

I follow a number of Autism related channels since my late in life diagnosis (48 years old), and you are one of my comparatively new follows, but your videos consistently hit me emotionally, usually with a 'OMG this is me' feeling. Thank you!!

[HouseRavensong]

Thank you for all your content and this specifically. 5 decades of struggling are coming into focus.

[andrayellowpenguin]

OMG absolutely!!! And I've had the "why are you arguing" / "you're overthinking" / "you're too much in your head" lines soooo many times because i need more processing time and information to be able to do things. I just can't "go with the flow", i need to be able to plan a project so then i know what i am going to do. And in relationships it's even worse. I even had friends saying "you're trying to cheat" just because i wanted to get really clear on the rules of boardgames! It's really hurtful. And i always feel like I'm late for everything and constantly running to catch up. And it drives me nuts because at least at work people know full well that if they give me the time and info i ask for the job's gonna get done right the first time and it's going to take a lot less time overall than it would if someone else did it! Because I'll do it once and good, while most of my colleagues will "go with the flow" and then have to redo it 5 times till it's actually well done!

[h-aether]

"It's not a question of: is is the right thing to do or is it not the right thing to do; it's a matter of, can I get there in my own time through a proper process?" - love this framing

[wandoorose]

Love the wisdom in “you can’t hurry the River”. Thank you Paul.

[kathiedurkel]

These videos help me so much in understanding my 15 year old grandson.

[AutoEngineerVideos]

I can hardly wait for the video to be released. I'm under a lot of stress and time-pressure at the moment, so it has come at a good time!

[rodentary]

I love the river sounds during the river analogy.

[aprendizagemintegrativa]

Having enough time to do, to think, to talk, to be in deep and fully present contact with whoever I am socializing with is key to being able to regulate myself and have restorative health. I would say that it is something that we will all need to reclaim the feeling of having enough time for everything. It is a choice and it is an act of life power. Thank you so much for raising this topic. 🥰🤗

[rebeccadubarry]

Thank you for your work.i feel completely alone on this planet.

[KayleenGnwmythr]

The work that Miriam Rose Ungunmerr Baumann (who was 2021 Senior Australian of the Year) has done to teach the concept of Dadirri is also fantastic.

[Martina_BCJdesign]

Oooh yes. 100%. I am a self-employed artist, graphic and web designer. I don't accept the rushed projects at all. Unless I am sure I can finish them/they're easy for me, and from the people I have worked with for a long time so we have a different kind of understanding. I remember some author offering me extra money for the project and I just said no. It would have taken weeks, at least, to recover from such a project.

[rjparker]

When confronted by cascading questions, like in a doctor's office, as soon as the 2nd question hits, before I've answered the first, I have a standard reply:
"I have autism. I think in pictures. When you ask me a question, I take it, translate it into pictures, think of an answer, then translate it back to words. So, you need to give me extra time to translate, process, and answer your question."
They now ponder what I've said, thinking about my mental processing style, which is often completely new info for them. However, thereafter, I'm given plenty of time to answer.

[fatcheese]

Finally a topic I really can relate to.
If I have no time restraints I can do a task very quick. If there’s a time restrain then I have time to little. And it doesn’t matter if the time givin is 1 hour or 4 hours for the same task… something goes wrong in my brain and sort of locks up.