Slow processing speed

#autism #slowprocessingspeed

[jonnytodd]

Thanks for the video. My scores for verbal intelligence and non verbal intelligence are both high, but my scores for processing and working memory are very low. This definitely has an effect on my ability both to relate to, and to communicate with other people. Also, trying to mask my limitations has always been a priority, but my panic to try and appear normal probably reduces any chances of communication even more.

[sapphireflowers]

Thank you so much for this video! I'm not Autistic but have slow processing speed. It feels lonely, even amongst other neurodivergents and isn't talked about enough. I'm not 100% sure of my diagnosis but I've been told I have Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome. Also you're so right about how having slow processing makes it so everything takes a lot more out of you. Ironically, I also really enjoy cooking too. I wouldn't say I am advanced with it but because it's an interest of mine, that helps with the motivation of it. It still takes me longer but it's worth it. I have been trying to pinpoint why socializing feels tiring at times and for me it probably is because of the slow processing. I feel guilty because I genuinely care about being present in my conversations wirh others but I often have that experience where a person will be talking and my brain struggles to put meaning to their words fast enough. I do better communicating over text as it at least gives me a bit of time to process.

[tayzonday]

Me too. I’m very high percentile (top 5%) on each IQ test category (working memory, verbal, nonverbal) except 30th percentile in processing speed. For me, the difference is big enough to qualify as a learning disability.

[renj]

Im HFA and when I listen to people I feel like im on dial up and everyone else is on WIFI, I scored high at problem solving but processing speed wasnt up to par. I believe thats why im horrible at mental math because it requires speed and a decent memory to carry numbers

[frizzy-frizz]

after years of frustration, self loathing and even ostracization, at 14 i was diagnosed with autism. initially, i was over-joyed at the new found clarity and sense of understanding that this revelation caused. i felt like i had spent years, trapped in a dim and dreary room and had finally been rescued, pull out into the glorious sunlight. but, after a few years, i sort of just dismissed my diagnosis. not to say i rejected it, i just threw it aside like an old toy. regardless of the label, i was weird and no label was going to change that.

one problem that was i unaware was a product of my autism was my slow processing speed. some people might not think it, but this issue can be debilitating; socially, i was so lost. not only because of the stereotypical obstacles that autism posed in such a respect but because it was such an arduous task of even understanding what was being said in the context of a conversation. one day of mere listening, passive observation left me feeling as though i'd served a long, hard and stressful day at work.

people went at their own speed, i could only go at mine. they raced by rapidly with the the wheels of their vehicles projecting sand onto the surface of my windscreen, leaving me disorientated and left behind. because of this issue, i over intellectualised language all together. not understanding my issue, i began to doubt my grasp of my native English language. before long i had complicated language so much that understanding a simple sentence was a lofty task that left me feeling dreadfully hopeless.

at me wits end, i re-assembled the pieces of my shattered mind and decided to conduct some research. after doing so, i became vaguely aware of what was causing my issues, SPS. i felt relieved, almost as though i was reliving the time of my initial diagnosis. but, despite the understanding, my issues remained, they were just a little lighter. lately, ive been struggling with my processing speed and hearing somebody speaking in such a candid manner about issues strikingly similar to comforting albeit mildly selfish, or potentially so. it always feels better to feel not alone, for your problems to not belong exclusively to you, to know other are bearing your burden just the same and that they are getting by.

thank you for this video, thank you for the warm hug of understanding that it has provided me.

[gmlpc]

Good topic. I have similar problems with processing speed, e.g. often I find it difficult to come up with examples of particular things that I know and where I could produce very good answers with time to prepare. Unfortunately there are plenty of situations in life where we are expected to answer within seconds or maybe do a task in a minute or so and where a slow response is viewed negatively, even if the ultimate result is just as good or even better than the person with a rapid response. Social interaction is certainly one instance. It can be hard to produce a good, quick response so this can lead either to no response or a quick but poor response, e.g. one that is too brief, inarticulate or just simply not useful. This is why face-to-face conversation is far more difficult than written responses like this one. Other cases where slow response can be viewed negatively can be when asked to do a task - needing extra time to process what has to be done can be seen as lack of attention, lack of motivation or simply lack of ability, all viewed negatively.

Another area where this can be a problem is employment. The basic work task may not be difficult but the employer's chief priority is speed, e.g. so more orders are processed. An autistic candidate or worker may do the task very well but too slowly for the employer's liking so they don't get hired or their job becomes at risk.

The paradox may seem to be having very quick processing time - and impressive responses - for certain questions and activities. However these will often be for more straightforward practical questions usually linked to a strong interest or skill. Generally I would say autists need more time to do tasks and maybe larger tasks with a longer time-frame than lots of shorter ones. The workload for these tasks may be substantial but they benefit from time to think and prepare and can then sometimes progress quicker than average and with good results.

[justinhambidge]

I am articulate with writing when given great thought and time. I struggle with processing sound, people say that I’m always a conversation behind. Regarding time and fitting everything in, it’s such a struggle fitting in interests when feeling overwhelmed from work and the family.

[RLWarrior]

I had someone once said to me better to remain silent than to speak and remove all doubt. Of course I didn’t have a quip to defend myself. I just took it. I always think of the perfect response an hour, day, years later.
The really nice thing is when people make sideways remarks that are hidden insults that I didn’t get at the time must have been really infuriating to them because I didn’t react at the time. 😂

[gmlpc]

It's always interesting to find out when people get up or go to bed. I always used to go to bed at midnight or just after and get up at 8 am. Occasionally I had to get up an hour or so earlier and found it really disruptive so I switched to getting up at 6.15 and going to bed at 10.15 or shortly after. I'm much happier with this new routine which means that if I have to make an early start it's much less of a problem..

[FirstmaninRome]

Yes, I call it the cafeteria Effect, when I'm eating in public, or mutliple people are talking at the same time, or with back ground noise, I can Feel the speed sort of slow down, I noticed this in teenage years first, I can build up to a simulation of it, by using predetirmined comedy scripts, somewhat, which is what I did in childhood really. This is why I hate playing cards, for example.

[jocarey]

I have the same problem with slow processing when socialising as you. It makes me feel stupid too, even though I know I’m not. But I also struggle to stay focused during a conversation and can easy start thinking about something else then have the impulse to interrupt and come across really rude. Everything takes me a lot of energy too and I’m also falling asleep really early.

[MaryKDayPetrano]

TY ! That was a very good video. I process very slowly, too, and no one understands this autism issue.

[Colorinchis]

Hi! This is so interesting. My cognitive profile is also very odd. Extremely high verbal intelligence (147, ranking in the 99, 9 percentile), much lower non-verbal score (108, ranking in the 70 percentile) and then very high working memory and Processing Speed (both in the 99 percentile). Technically that puts me in the highly gifted category, with a severe discrepancy between verbal and non-verbal areas, which I believe might explain many of my day-to-day challenges with apparently "easy" everyday tasks like driving or organizing (which together with my sensory processing issues prevent me from getting certain jobs). The thing is, I do not think clinical testing of Processing Speed can actually reveal many of the challenges I face in social contexts. Even someone who scores very high in the PS index in a clinical setting can face serious challenges in daily life. I'll explain. When tested in a clinical setting, I was presented with tasks that felt like a game to me. Absolutely no pressure except time. I felt no emotion attached to the task, which was lacking in social reciprocity. But that is not how real life works. In a real life situation, sensory stimuli, the setting itself, the number of people involved or even the topic can greatly affect my ability to respond in due time and in socially appropriate ways. I have been reading on so-called "cold vs. hot" executive functions and suspect this slowing down of processing abilities in real life social settings may have something to do with this, particularly when sensory issues, emotions and the ability to accurately read context are at stake. So to me it's not just only about Processing Speed per se, but about how PS can be impaired by external factors as well. I believe this is why I can more or les function in one-on-one conversations focused but my brain becomes totally disconnected and us unable to respond in quickly changing social contexts. Does it make sense? Cheers! ☺️

[JonBrase]

I get the impression that I process things in larger batches than neurotypicals, but process fewer batches per unit time. So my total throughput is higher ("fast processing") but the lag from when a stimulus first arrives to when I'm done processing it is longer ("slow processing"). Neurotypicals expect faster turnaround on shorter thoughts in conversation, whereas I expect people to take longer turns speaking with longer pauses in between each speaker.

[junior]

How/where do you get tested in the U.S.? I’m not autistic, but I think slow processing speed describes me and my life struggles. Being so smart and so dumb at the same time. In school I had an incredibly difficult time writing papers. A handful of professors allowed me to turn papers in late and often told me I did stellar work. Professors who didn’t would ask me things like are you really putting the work and effort in. It was frustrating because I usually went above and beyond what was asked, mostly because I had to in order to formulate the paper. If I didn’t have time to formulate, I handed in what appeared to be half-cocked garbage. A co-worker would get really frustrated with me because she said I asked questions a already knew the answers to. I think that I that I might know the superficial answers to some questions but I’m am constantly trying to form some sort of framework that goes deeper and i less obvious. I need to see the big picture and until I do see the little picture, even when I can explain what’s going on in it superficially, it doesn’t really make sense to me. I know that sometimes the little picture is all that is required to solve a problem, answer a question, or get through an assignment, and even when I want to keep it simple I can’t until I understand the greater framework. Then I can go back and explain any detail and extrapolate.

[chrstopherblighton-sande]

Happy New Year to you, I hope that in 2023 you'll be able to do the things you've been looking forward to, such as meeting up with your dad outside. I too am hoping to be able to meet up with my mum outside at some point this year, sooner rather than later I hope. Fingers crossed for the both of us.

Hearing about your bedtime schedule was interesting as our bedtimes are quite different, as I tend to go to bed late, between 12:30 and 1:30 am. I have really poor time management skills and procrastinate a lot too, and easily get caught up in things that interest me and then really struggle to switch my attention to what I should be doing, so everything I do seems to take far longer than I plan it to, or than it should do, so I end up going to bed far too late.

I think the link between processing speed and social difficulties is something that really should be investigated. As you talked about it, I was thinking just how much needs to be processed during a conversation: the actual words someone is saying, the tone of voice, the facial expressions, the body language, your own thoughts in response, other things going on in the room and so forth, and all of this has to happen pretty instantaneously. It seems that a slow processing speed would inevitably create difficulties in this area.

[squaretops]

Im the same as you, you sound very smart thou and you worry too much

[Anita_She]

Very helpful video. Thank you for your input 💓

[digitizedgoldminds]

Sometimes slow processings is a plus. Block out the haters with good music.

[kirarasmom]

I am forty one years old. I don't have autism, but slow comprehension and slow processing speed. K to 12 in special education.

I am sorry school failed us.