HELP! I can't unlock doors (and I think it might be because of my autism)

[Aspie_rin]

So yeah, it seem I can't figure out how keys and keyholes work... I try everything, and I have this problem with a lot of doors. The keys and the locks are not the problem, because when people try to use my key on the lock it always works ok... Also I read a lot of blogs about aspergers and it seems I'm not the only one who have this problem, so maybe it is linked to autism somehow? I'm in this situation right now, and I'm just waiting at Tim Hortons until my boyfriend is ready to come home from work, so if anyone have been the same but figured out what they did wrong so I could finally be able to open the door myself, that would be wonderful.

 

[xDominiel]

What do you mean? What have you tried doing?

You're supposed to push the key into the lock, and then rotate it until it clicks. Then you can rotate it back upright (but not so far back that you lock it again) and pull it out.

 

[Aspie_rin]

Well, yeah, that's basically how keys work, and this is what I'm doing. I even try to pull the door (before and while I try to unlock the door) and every trick I know of. I really don't get what I do wrong.

 

[Aspie_rin]

I exagerated though, I only have problems with ''hard to unlock'' doors. But I find it impossible and can try to unlock it for 30 mins and fail when anyone else who tried managed to do it within 5 mins at most, usually within a minute, with the same key.

Even though sometimes (not often) it works just fine, but I don't know what I did differently. This is very debilitating

 

[OkRad]

That is scary. I do not have trouble with that so much as not being able to figure stuff out. I have visual spatial troubles. So if I were in a Timmy's I might not see WASHROOM in front of me and once done, maybe not find my way back. I am serious!

It came to my attention lately that not only do I do the same schedule every single day but the exact same movement like how I put on clothes etc and when I am in an odd place, forget it

I get lost going around the corner. I was sobbing in a parking lot because i had wasted a half tank of gas in a 6 mile radius!!!! I could not get out. I was all shaky and my brother had to bail me out. I was totally trapped.

 

[Aspie_rin]

Sounds terrible. At least this seems to be the only thing I absolutely can't do, and it only results in me getting freezing, hungry and sometimes sobbing, and getting people annoyed that I always need their help for such a simple thing... Well now that I type it it's pretty bad, but what I meant to say is that I empathise with you.

 

[OkRad]

Are you still stuck there?

 

[Aspie_rin]

I decided to wait until my boyfriend is done at his job, though I finished my book and my computer doesn't have much battery, and I'm expecting to wait until midnight.

 

[Suzanne]

That is one of my social anxiety enducing things. I am PETRIFIED when it comes to opening doors. And when I have to use a key, I go into surreal mode!

More often than not, the key doesn't work for me, which gets a tide of panic come over me.

I am ok with my own door though, because it is familiar now, but do panic when with another!

 

[clearly]

Oh yes, same here..I dread opening doors; I seem to forget which direction they open, whether the handle goes up or down and when. Most of the time I try to push the key in the lock upside down.

Same as Suzanne, I feel panic rising hoping I am not going to make too much of a fool of myself. Just glad my car is key-less otherwise I would never get anywhere.

Shoelaces are hard for me to tie and I am forever putting my shoes on the wrong feet. I don't seem to have improved at with age but thankfully, I find most people are so wrapped up in their own loves they don't even notice bit I panic all the same. They are just many of my many quirks as i call them

(I am fine driving. When I drive, all my anxieties melt away).

 

[OkRad]

I hope you made it home ok!!

 

[toothless]

Shoelaces are hard for me to tie and I am forever putting my shoes on the wrong feet. I don't seem to have improved at with age but thankfully, I find most people are so wrapped up in their own loves they don't even notice bit I panic all the same. They are just many of my many quirks as i call them

im the same,i cant tie shoe laces at all as there are to many 'steps' to doing it and i get overloaded,lots of support staff throughout my life have not understood why i cant tie them at my age and they think im just been lazy,so i dont ask those for help and i go out with them untied,i only ask those who understand.
i also struggle with left/right and i cant write at all either apart from doing a weird signiture but that is to do with my functioning level i think,rather than being an issue like fine motor skill.

i do struggle a bit with keys,it is a fine motor skill problem but i can do it after a bit of fiddling and i dont get panic over it.

 

[clearly]

I don't know what happened this morning but after getting back home after a trip to the beach to watch the sunrise, I was standing at my front door and trying to open it with my car key transponder. Standing their pressing it toward the front door then realised I needed to use my front door key. My face was red and hot with embarrassment.

Mind you, that's a good idea. Getting a lock I can just point something at to open it.

 

[Aspie_rin]

Turns out that I forgot to tell my boyfriend where I was so when I came to his home he was worried as hell and had called everyone and was about to call the police. I feel bad about it but it's somewhat amusing and endearing too haha

 

[Aspie_rin]

Also I still don't know how to tie my shoes properly too, though I haven't put much efforts in learning it. I just make a basic knot then a loop with each lace and a basic knot with the loops.

 

[Aspie_rin]

Turns out I really just was turning the key in the wrong direction, even though I remember trying both ways sometimes...