Non-verbal

[Mary Terry]

My therapist doesn't understand my speech problems. I tried to explain. Why is it so hard to understand? Why is audism so deeply ingrained in people's minds? He couldn't believe that a lot of the time I can't speak. That how, you do speak now, you can speak. Yeah... now, here. Key words.

It gives me insight to read what you're saying. My nephew is physically able to speak with a lot of struggle and difficulty, but he can't put words together in a sentence or a question. He knows what the words mean but he can't just pull them out of his mind and put them together in verbal speech or even in writing. It's like the neural pathway between his mouth and his mind is missing a connection or something.

 

[vergil96]

He knows what the words mean but he can't just pull them out of his mind and put them together in verbal speech or even in writing.

I'm good at writing, but I can relate to not being able to put words in order very often. I end up saying them in the wrong order or in an ungrammatical manner a lot of the time. Skipping verbs, prepositions, and other parts of speech. I mean, I know the grammar. Given time for it and room for thought. Speaking is a skill like any other, it takes a lot of factors to develop fluency in practice, not theory.

It's like the neural pathway between his mouth and his mind is missing a connection or something.

Like I said, it takes time and a lot of factors to develop fluency. For me what makes it difficult is too low exposure to speech, because I can't hear it a lot of the time and got used to relying on visual cues. Or the patchy way I compose speech reflects the patchy way in which I hear it.

 

[vergil96]

I don't know if you also have this problem, but I feel very omitted. Lkke when you go somewhere with someone and e.g. the salesperson talk with the person who is with you just because you don't hear well and are slow to respond. As if you were a burden and devoid of agency. Not listened to. Assumed you don't have anything to say, because you find it hard to summon up what you have to say, because you can lag with a response. Pushed around instead of included and asked or listened to whether you actually want something or not.

 

[Outdated]

I don't know if you also have this problem, but I feel very omitted. Lkke when you go somewhere with someone and e.g. the salesperson talk with the person who is with you just because you don't hear well and are slow to respond. As if you were a burden and devoid of agency. Not listened to. Assumed you don't have anything to say, because you find it hard to summon up what you have to say, because you can lag with a response. Pushed around instead of included and asked or listened to whether you actually want something or not.

It was opposite for me, especially as a teenager. It was always me that got pushed to the front to do all the talking because I was quick thinking and smooth tongued and usually managed to be likeable at the same time. Others quickly noticed that if it was me that talked to the cops we always got let off with a warning or a caution to be more careful in future. Whenever any of the others opened their mouths they always got in to trouble.

 

[vergil96]

Almost done with A1+A2 sign language course (online). Hell yeah!