Severe Probs With Auditory Processing

[Robby]

This is one of my main problems and always has been. If things get too complicated at once, or if too much is thrown at me verbally or through the ears, even if I hear it, I just can't process it. I have to have stuff written down clearly & explained or modelled for me clearly for me to succeed at them. This was true in school when I needed modeling to help me solve problems, and today I can't remember anything in short term without having it written down. My long term memory though for details and random facts and stuff that happened 30 years ago (I'm 33 now) is perfect. Yet my short term memory is pretty bad. Does anyone else struggle with this? And as I'm not actively seeking employment, how I can I approach this? I've learned that I simply cannot do jobs where a lot is thrown at me audibly, without any way to have it written down. I just forget it all. So I don't waste my time with customer service jobs with a headset in my ears anymore. What are some jobs that might be good to pursue or inquire about? I'm terrible at math and science. I'm great at writing, communciations, and my basic interaction skills are decent. I'm hoping to get a bit better at recalling short term information, but basically I'm hard-wired to not be good at hearing things and better at learning and absorbing when I have it written down in front of me or modeled. Not sure how I would explain this to any employers but I feel I'd have to, so they could make accomodations for me.

 

[HisShadowX]

I have the same issue! The same exact issue and often in the short term when I'm nervous I know what to say and when I want to say it doesn't come out right from how I thought of it.

Your best bet is to talk with your psychologist and come up with a solution to your problem. I find most employers don't like excuses regardless of your disability BUT you do have rights under ADA for your employer to make accommodations.

What you need to do is learn how to take control over your situation and to know your rights. It took me a couple jobs but my supervisors and management tread very carefully around me.

 

[Robby]

Thanks for the nice reply. It's one of my main issues. It's not even that I get nervous so much anymore, it's that I just don't know how to interact with certain people. I have a great psychologist although I don't get to meet her as much as I'd like. Yea employers wouldn't like excuses I get that. But aren't they required to make accomodations under the ADA? But at what point do you tell them about the auditory problems? During the job interview? Or After already hired?

I've learned to avoid even bothering with jobs that I know would required a lot of fast thinking all at once like customer service, I just can't process that all at once.

For me, I find that what works or would be ideal would be to be given manageable tasks (not a lot at once) that I know i can accomplish, & just positive reinforcement or clear written instructions even in an email would be fine, I love post-its and lists lol. I just miss a bunch of stuff when it's verbalized.

 

[HisShadowX]

Thanks for the nice reply. It's one of my main issues. It's not even that I get nervous so much anymore, it's that I just don't know how to interact with certain people. I have a great psychologist although I don't get to meet her as much as I'd like. Yea employers wouldn't like excuses I get that. But aren't they required to make accomodations under the ADA? But at what point do you tell them about the auditory problems? During the job interview? Or After already hired?

I've learned to avoid even bothering with jobs that I know would required a lot of fast thinking all at once like customer service, I just can't process that all at once.

For me, I find that what works or would be ideal would be to be given manageable tasks (not a lot at once) that I know i can accomplish, & just positive reinforcement or clear written instructions even in an email would be fine, I love post-its and lists lol. I just miss a bunch of stuff when it's verbalized.

You do not have to tell them about your disability before or after the interview you can tell them on your first day and if they want to pull a fast one you can call the EEOE they will work on your behalf and investigate the issue and get your job back with back pay.

What type of job do you have? I actually work in Customer Service and I wouldn't recommend it two years after doing it I got grey hair but my voice has been tuned to where I sound as if I am a robot or a professional voice actor.

 

[Robby]

Thats the problem I don't have a job. I'm actively seeking one, but nobody wants to hire me because I have little work experience & because I'm gay. I took some assessment tests for some call center customer service jobs & did okay on the written parts, but the auditory mock-calls I did terrible on. Because it was just way too much coming at me at once & I just can't process it.

 

[Robby]

I would never in a million years do customer service or retail. Especially in this day and age where people seem to be so rude regardless & I can't process a lot at once any way. I'd like something with decent liveable pay I could do like filing or basic office work or repetitive tasks I could handle & not get overwhelmed, but they just don't seem to be there. And add to that the fact that I'm gay & most employers don't seem to like me.

 

[HisShadowX]

Thats the problem I don't have a job. I'm actively seeking one, but nobody wants to hire me because I have little work experience & because I'm gay. I took some assessment tests for some call center customer service jobs & did okay on the written parts, but the auditory mock-calls I did terrible on. Because it was just way too much coming at me at once & I just can't process it.

Are you feminine or is it something you can't tell? My voice was terrible I am tongue tied meaning my tongue is tied to the bottom of my mouth.

I got my break in this crappy telemarketing job were I worked for three months that would hire anyone that opened the door for me however.

I think you should look into IT or trucking you don't have to worry about much people with trucking

 

[HisShadowX]

I would never in a million years do customer service or retail. Especially in this day and age where people seem to be so rude regardless & I can't process a lot at once any way. I'd like something with decent liveable pay I could do like filing or basic office work or repetitive tasks I could handle & not get overwhelmed, but they just don't seem to be there. And add to that the fact that I'm gay & most employers don't seem to like me.

Yes people are rude but in my current job my Aspergers with my honesty and being able to fully explain things and fully side with the customer makes me a fan favorite

 

[Robby]

I'm not overly feminine, maybe in the middle, but def more feminine than masculine. I like to look nice. It's hard to explain. I don't know how to be something other than myself. I guess some people judge me based on appearance. I experienced a lot of severe bullying in high school because I was gay. Name calling, being mocked, singled out, etc. To this day I have major problems because of that. I don't have much self confidence. So aside from being naturally sensitive because of my autism I'm even more so because of my experiences.

I'd love to work in an open-minded progressive place that doesn't care about tattoos, piercings, etc. People are so boring & one-dimensional.

I do always try to dress nice on interviews and usually do decent once it gets going. It's just the everyday ordinary people who tend to get on my nerves because here in the south a lot of people are extremely anti-gay.

 

[Robby]

Haha I could never do trucking. I do well to handle my own small car let alone a huge truck. Yea that'd never work. I'd be too stressed. Traffic really stresses me. I don't think I could do IT either (maybe if I had major training and hands-on training). I don't do well with math and science at all. I do very well with writing, commentary, big-picture stuff, conceptualizing, not so much technical stuff. I also am very creative.

 

[Robby]

I can answer phones reasonably well and have enjoyed working with the elderly in the past. And I could do data entry within reason, or even light non-stressful warehouse work.

 

[HisShadowX]

I'm not overly feminine, maybe in the middle, but def more feminine than masculine. I like to look nice. It's hard to explain. I don't know how to be something other than myself. I guess some people judge me based on appearance. I experienced a lot of severe bullying in high school because I was gay. Name calling, being mocked, singled out, etc. To this day I have major problems because of that. I don't have much self confidence. So aside from being naturally sensitive because of my autism I'm even more so because of my experiences.

I'd love to work in an open-minded progressive place that doesn't care about tattoos, piercings, etc. People are so boring & one-dimensional.

I do always try to dress nice on interviews and usually do decent once it gets going. It's just the everyday ordinary people who tend to get on my nerves because here in the south a lot of people are extremely anti-gay.

I worked with many gay customer service area many that one would consider "flaming gay" all of them end up supervisor or QA potential. I think you'd be great working for a company like grub hub or wedeliver if your in Chicago for customer service

 

[HisShadowX]

I can answer phones reasonably well and have enjoyed working with the elderly in the past. And I could do data entry within reason, or even light non-stressful warehouse work.

What state do you live in I might be able to give some tips

 

[AsheSkyler]

Focus on being a receptionist? You'll always have a pad and paper on hand or Notepad on the computer, I do lots of notes with it. The customers are usually pleasant because you're just relaying messages or answering quick questions that can easily be scripted and wrote out to the side for you to read off. Most customers don't mind repeating stuff either just so they make sure their message and phone number goes through correctly. The hours aren't bad, but sometimes the pay sucks and you get stuck at minimum wage. One good thing about being a receptionist is that you're not tied down to one field, so to speak. I've worked at a printing company, AC company, and two income tax offices as a receptionist.

Given your interest in writing, concepts, and stuff, I'd recommend some kind of media place, like a newspaper, printing company, and the like. You could start off keeping the phone and maybe progress to another position in the company.

You could also try to be a receptionist or some kind of desk clerk at the hospital. I applied several times for a gift-shop position, but never heard anything. A lot of the male nurses would probably sympathize with you not being Mr. He-Caveman Manly Man and enjoy your company. (Personally, I'm not that fond of the macho type.)

 

[Progster]

I can relate 100% to this, I have these problems too, and they have caused me a number of problems in employment, along with ADD traits I have: following and remembering intructions, taking in information verbally from students, following the instructor's intructions when learning to drive, getting overhwelmed by all the information coming in too fast. I've been in trouble because I've missed things that people have told me - sometimes I even say "yes" but actually I haven't taken everything in. Once a boss concluded that I must be hard of hearing and recommended that I got a hearing test! I thought about it and came to the conclusion that my problem was not that I'm hard of hearing, but on the contrary, that I hear too well!

I haven't always avoided jobs where one needs to take in auditory infomation, but I've had to develop a range of compensating or coping strategies for this. I ask people to repeat. I ask people to slow down and tell me one sentence at a time. I repeat back to make sure that I got it right. I write things down. I once had a customer service job for a short while, but coped ok with it simply because it wasn't too busy and I was given a touch pad to enter the orders - if the order was for a Big Mac, fries and coffee, I'd repeat the order back to them, and then push the buttons - a kind of echolalia, I guess, which helps to remember and process.

 

[iuuyyueww]

yes

i'm generally ignorant

mainly because I hold the human race in contempt and wish to ignore them

 

[Kari Suttle]

This is one of my main problems and always has been. If things get too complicated at once, or if too much is thrown at me verbally or through the ears, even if I hear it, I just can't process it. I have to have stuff written down clearly & explained or modelled for me clearly for me to succeed at them

Me too! I'm just plain hypersensitive to sound in general but it just gets worse when you combine it with someone talking to me PLUS an information overload. It happened today at the dentists' office today actually...I've noticed, at least in a work environment, that iff someone *has* to verbally explain something to me, i learn best when they give me the directions and I physically do it at their directions, step by step. If they simply show me, its pretty much instant overload and wont teach me anything. I think the different superivsors at my cashier job had to show me how to change the printer paper at the self-checkout machines three different times, if not more than that, before one of them finally guided me through and let me change the paper while they watched and told me what to do rather than did it for me while explaining it. I just get too much anxiety in the moment with just being talked to and having to remember everything they're saying.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I ask people to repeat. I ask people to slow down and tell me one sentence at a time. I repeat back to make sure that I got it right. I write things down. I once had a customer service job for a short while, but coped ok with it simply because it wasn't too busy and I was given a touch pad to enter the orders - if the order was for a Big Mac, fries and coffee, I'd repeat the order back to them, and then push the buttons - a kind of echolalia, I guess, which helps to remember and process.

EXACTLY! This is how i cope with my insanely busy cashier job. I repeat/echo specific things back to the customer, sometimes specifying "50 as in '5' '0', right?" when either myself or the customer can misunderstand or mishear things. Its happened before. Its become apart of my basic cashier script that i developed over the course of my first week or few on the job. I find that like you said it helps me to remember better and to 'finish' processing rather than get stuck mentally and overloaded when it gets too busy.