Hearing things wrong/trouble making sense of things

[sarahsweets]

I think its possible that ones mind is so filled with so many thoughts that it creates head "noise " so that its difficult to listen and then comprehend. If I'm given multi step instructions all at once I will often skip a step without even realizing it. If there's alot of talking around me it's like my ears and mind are drawn to the other side of the room instead of the person I'm listening to.

[full_throttle]

I have trouble with this everyday. I use Japanese (English is my first language) about 95% of the day even though I'm not that fluent. The conversations are simple enough that I know and understand all the words, but somehow I don't hear it correctly (even though I have excellent hearing) or the message gets rearranged in my head.
easy example*
A: Give this to Katsuaki-san.
later...
Me: I gave it to Hakozaki-san.
A: I said give it to Katsuaki-san.

Now I'm at the point where I tell the person asking me to do something what I understood and they tell me if I'm correct- makes me feel like I'm a 5 year old going shopping for the first time.

I also have a voice recorder, but it is so inconvient to use it for every little thing. When I use it though I can go back and listen to the conversation a couple of times. (^ v ^)

[alienpostie]

I have a very similar issue to this. Sometimes I mis-hear people, but more often I will hear what they say and I know it is perfectly intelligible but I cannot make heads or tails of it. I end up just standing there with a stupid look on my face while I try to figure it out.

Reminds me of a time when, as a truck driver, I was given the directions "down the road, turn right" but I could have sworn she said left... It was a bit of a kerfuffle trying to turn around again!

It's not really something that affects me much and I wouldn't necessarily bother the pdoc about it (I have my 2nd appointment in a week) but I wonder if maybe I should? Also, what about the IQ test? Is that particularly relevant?

Thanks,
Stu

[be0lie0ves]

Happens to me all the time. Although I can "usually" tell when it's happened because what I had just heard doesn't make sense or "fit". My solution to this is to repeat what I thought they said no matter how ridiculous it sounds, they laugh, and then I apologize and tell them that there is a lag with my "English to English Translator".

[varied_in_style]

My mind drops entire words all the time! I have no idea why... One time my dad and I were talking in the car and he said 'We aren't allowed to wear those sneakers at work. Someone slid and got hurt." and I thought he said -I- wasn't allowed. I got pretty mad, because we don't even work for the same place, let alone the same company so how would he know what I'm allowed and not allowed to wear? And then he said something else and -yet again- an entire word just -dropped- mentally, and I never even heard it. It's the only way I can explain it, I just don't hear some of the words...

Originally Posted by Spacemaster

YES! I can't think of examples right now, but it happens to me all day every day. My mother complained about me all the time, saying "I never listen". In reality, I could be looking at her, trying real hard to listen, but I still didn't hear properly. Check out Auditory Processing Disorder. I am convinced that I have it.

That... I wonder if I should check into that. That sounds like me sooo much!

[be0lie0ves]

Originally Posted by sarahsweets

I think its possible that ones mind is so filled with so many thoughts that it creates head "noise " so that its difficult to listen and then comprehend. If I'm given multi step instructions all at once I will often skip a step without even realizing it. If there's alot of talking around me it's like my ears and mind are drawn to the other side of the room instead of the person I'm listening to.

I am fairly isolated in the shop I work in (great for me). I listen to music cranked all day (again great for me) as long as I don't need to talk to anyone.

My boss comes out to my shop to do paper work sometimes because he won't be bothered as much. But when he does he turns on talk radio. I hate it. It's to mentally engaging. It's just more noise. I can't focus. No real surprise there.

What is kinda odd is that when someone comes out looking for HIM to answer a question I feel compelled to turn down his talk radio so he can hear. He doesn't have ADD. Neither music nor talk radio bother him when he's communicating with someone. But if I don't turn it down while he's talking I can't focus on my work.

ADD Brains. Can't live with them, can't live without them.

[Hypoactive]

i have almost the opposite problem: i'll be in the middle of a conversation and make a complete fool out of myself because i can't, for the life of me, remember what the name of a relatively common object is...for instance, i was recently on the phone with my sister and the conversation went something like this:

"i'm just about to head out the door, but i'm having trouble deciding which...um...which ones to wear."

"which ones of what?"

"you know, those things you put on your feet?"

"socks?"

"no."

"shoes?"

"no. well, kind of -- i mean, they're a certain kind of shoe -- you know, the kind that people wear to picnics a lot?" (LMAO)

"flip-flops?"

"no. well, flip-flops are similar, but i'm talking about the dressier kind...you know, the kind you can wear with anything? i think it begins with a v."

"vandals??"

"very funny smart *** -- yeah, sandals, dammit!" (and here, i'd been staring at a pile of sandals the entire time).


and this scenario happens EVERY DANG DAY , regardless of the subject or the person i'm speaking to. -- but the really odd part?? -- adderall makes the problem even *worse*! but the benefits of adderall greatly outweigh the negatives, so, i guess i'll just go around being an air headed clown for the rest of my life.


btw, i've read that such problems with "word finding" are commonly one of the first symptoms of alzheimer's...wow, if that's true, i've had the beginnings of alzheimer's for decades already.

[spunkysmum]

It sounds similar to when people mis-hear lyrics in songs and come up with the funniest ones.

I think I may have this in a sense, as I do often come up with other phrases that what's being said sounds like, but I rarely actually think that's what they are saying. I usually know what was said but at the same time chuckle to myself at what else it sounded like.

Also, sometimes I have some sort of delayed processing thing where somebody will say something I didn't hear or understand, and even as I'm asking "what?" my brain is reprocessing what I heard and realizing what it was, so that by the time they've repeated themselves, I already know what they've said and may even have a quick answer ready.

[DapperOne]

I actually read lips when I'm listening to someone. It cuts down on that embarrassment quite a lot because I piece two and two together.

[CheekyMonkey]

Originally Posted by DapperOne

I actually read lips when I'm listening to someone. It cuts down on that embarrassment quite a lot because I piece two and two together.

I do this as well! I'm horrible on phones when I don't have the lips to help figure out what someone said!

[Zevispaz]

I have a hard time understanding people over the phone, which is why I hate talking on it. I talk back and no one understands what I'm trying to tell them. It's so frustrating.

I can understand people just fine, but making them understand me is hard. Or they don't understand where I'm going with something.

I rely on texts and emails for most communication.

[Jynical]

I don't like talking on the phone either. I prefer text or talking to someone face-to-face... but even then it's iffy on whether or not I'll comprehend what's going on. Usually I'm ok... but I've misheard some of the craziest things coming out of people's mouths... and by the time I've reordered what was said in my brain, I'm off on a mental tangent on what I thought I heard.


Yeah, Jen... that makes a lot of sense what you've typed there.

Remember that scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail with the 2 guards and the door...and the "making sure HE doesn't leave!"... no? Just me? Ok...