• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

Short-term memory

Hollow Horse

Well-Known Member
I could really use some advice right now.

Because this is happening such a lot.

So this morning, the typical situation.

I go for breakfast. I visit the ATM. I key in for £20. I take my card. I go to the cafe. Half hour later I go to pay for the meal. I have no money.

I know this is part of my condition. People are right to say oh this can happen to anyone. But they are wrong because it would not happen almost every time.

I would say this happens 80% of the time So my bank know me and are aware of my autism and have told me NOT to use ATM's anywhere but always to go into the bank to make sure they see me take the money.

One time this even happened when I had my social worker with me so it can happen even with a carer around. Luckily that was just £10.

ATM's have a retrieval system where if the money is not taken within 15 seconds it goes back into the machine and you can reclaim the amount not taken, if you see what I mean.

Only once has that ever happened, I was able to recover £30 that would have been lost.

It is scary to think of how much cash I actually have lost, fact I don't want to think of that.

Is it because I am getting older? It is like I have almost no short-term memory at all now but if you were to ask me any year of any song, I could tell you it.

I guess the simple rule would be not to use an ATM on a weekend? But not every cafe will accept cards.

And just an hour ago when this happened, I never considered the problem at all so it is about my non-awareness.

Like when I revisit the ATM to withdraw more money, I am aware of what has just happened.

It is really getting me down because I feel such a mug? I'm not bothered too much about who finds the money and keeps the money, I would just like to find a solution and a way of not losing it.

Any words of advice and support would be appreciated, thanks.
 
Yes, it can happen to anyone. Yes, it seems to happen more with age. And, though, I never really thought about it - possible being more frequent due to being on the spectrum. :) That happened to me recently at Walmart - self serve check out. I got almost to the car when I remembered that I didn't get the money so I immediately went back inside. No money there so I went to the service desk to tell them what happened. They had me wait - they went and watched their video camera, going back to the time on the receipt. Came back and told me that the lady behind me quickly snatched it up. I had kind of figured that since as I was going back in and they were leaving, trying not to look at me watching them. Anyway, it was nice of Walmart to reimburse me. I know they didn't have to.
 
This specific thing with not taking money from the ATM has never happened to me, but I've lost plenty of other things... wallets, umbrellas, pens, bags, my phone (luckily was able to retrieve this), keys - I'm very absent-minded. The ATMs where I live have a beeping noise and flashing light when it's dispensing the money that is hard to ignore.

With the card, I wonder if it would work to put a sticker with a note on it to remind you to take the money, that you can easily remove just before using it?
 
Maybe there is not much in the way of advice people can give. So instead for people reading this where it has happened to them, tell us how quickly you realised what had happened and did you get your cash back? Interesting what Pat said above "got almost to the car when I remembered" - important how quickly it is noticed; I just never do until it's too late.
 
Into my 60s, my short term memory isn't what it used to be. Yeah, sometimes it can be rather unnerving to say the least. :eek:

But then anytime I withdraw cash from an ATM, I do so methodically every so many weeks. I even log the withdrawal before actually making the transaction, and dutifully keep the receipt with my bank statements.

Perhaps one critical thing to do is to consider withdrawing greater amounts less frequently. To me, it would simply be impractical to be having to use ATMs that often over such small amounts of cash.

And above all, whenever using such machines to try to maintain extreme focus, despite the potential for so many distractions around you at the time. Though admittedly, it can be challenging at times.
 
Last edited:
two things get your vitamin b levels checked The lower there are the more it affects your memory and another one is to create a memory palace associate something ridiculous with. money like a banana holding £20 so when you walk into the memory palace you say hello to a banana holding £20 can you go to the next room which is a café and you talk to a coffee bean
 
When ATMs were new, your card remained in the machine until the transaction was over - make deposit, transfer funds, or get cash. Once the transaction was completed, the customer would walk away, often times leaving the card behind because it wasn't returned without pressing "End of Transaction". Even then, people would forget their card. Don't feel bad, everybody gets distracted.
 
I use checklists a lot. Something small I can keep in my pocket. In this case it would just say: 1) take card. 2) take money.
 
I can forget.
I blame it on distraction and thinking about too much at once.

I get brain blips too,
Part way through a activity,
for example,
Walking into a bank to withdraw money over the counter,
Get distracted,
Forget where I was up to.

-I’m in a bank, must be there for money right?
Have to check whether or not have completed transaction before walking out of bank.

Am guessing it’s a hormonal/ menopausal related daftness.
 
I have “rules” to keep daily activities running smoothly.
Here is what I would do...have a rule to use the ATM the same way very time. Which could be...
Open wallet, take out card and always stand with your finger in the cash spot until transaction is over. This is the Rule.
Until you have cash that goes nto the cash slot, do not remove your finger.
I would even keep my card in the cash slot of the wallet.
I have a lot of rules.
 
This happened to me yesterday! I was handed a check, went to my car, drove away, noticed there was no check. As far as I can tell, it magically vanished just like a ring that magically vanished at some point and I noticed today.

But it's only happened to this degree and frequency since I started Gabapentin.

But diet and exercise do influence memory.

And I was going to say something similar to Braidedpony. Rules, rituals, and things like that is the only way I now remember my wallet, keys, phone, and medication regularly.
 
I am bad with losing stuff too. My wallet mainly. It happens to all of us, both aspie and not. I wouldn't worry about it.
 
I often don't remember putting my keys or wallet back in my pocket, locking the door, or whatever. Always been that way, but worse as I get older. But I remember things well from when I was very young.
 
When ATMs were new, your card remained in the machine until the transaction was over - make deposit, transfer funds, or get cash. Once the transaction was completed, the customer would walk away, often times leaving the card behind because it wasn't returned without pressing "End of Transaction". Even then, people would forget their card. Don't feel bad, everybody gets distracted.

It's now the opposite of that. I take the card and put it in my wallet. Nobody has any idea why I leave the money behind.

I do like the one in Wilkinsons because if you don't take the money after a few seconds it makes beeping noises to tell you.

Yesterday I know it was 9.35am when it happened so I can go to the bank this morning to find out if the money was withdrawn back by the ATM because I don't remember anyone nearby waiting to use it after me and it's just fifteen seconds.
 
This kind of stuff happens to me all the time and I'm only 15.

As a teenager hopefully you won't be withdrawing amounts like £100 from an ATM though. So less likely to lose cash that way.

One time in McDonalds though I saw a boy your age order a huge amount of food on a debit card and he seemed quite pleased to be showing off that he had a card. :D

This commonplace ritual if swiping for under £30 here (UK) is fine, contactless it's called, but my issue is Sunday's; all other times I do know to only withdraw money at the counter in the bank where they know me.
 
Pats and tic mentioned old age as part of the reason for short term memory loss. Well, I am 73 and I do not think that getting old is so bad. After all, I get to go new places and meet new people every day!
 

New Threads

Top Bottom