eric

June 27, 2008

eric I to know of things happen that we do not associate when it comes

to us it is of sort of word retrieval or memory issues. but the one I

to did a time back was one asked of me what the name of me was and i to

had no clue of my own name. I to just tried ever so hard to recall of

it and to try to retrieve of it but could not and so I to looked over

to my children and asked of them what is of my name to be and they gave

of me that look but did be to give it to me. I to felt so much stupid.

how many ever forgets of their own name/especially when one has had of

it for over 40 years.

And once at a resturant the waiter person asked of me if I to wanted a

patatoe and I to not be of able to register at all that word and so

asked of her to say of the word again and she did and still nothing and

feeling desperate to make some sense of the word sound and could not so

I to shared I to not be of to know what that is and she gave of me a

look and sayed you dont know what a P-o-t-a-t-o-e is? it was the way

in which she sayed it the last time in this rubberband like fashion

that it registered to me and was then able to respond of wanted a baked

potatoe. it is of things of this when my brain is not working well that

makes of me seem so stupid to many around me. And I to be of not able

to explain of why my brain does of that sorts of things over and over.

so for you to not have of memory to esy is of similar to some of the

issues I to be of challenged with. I to be thinking to make of me a

business card saying if I to forget my name ask my kids....they know

everything. LOL

well at least they think they do.

Sondra

June 27, 2008

Sondra - I love your idea for a card to carry - ask my kids they know

everything - maybe you should add 'or at least they tell me they do'

It is good that you can have a sense of humor about something that must be

so frustrating. I can tell you though, it happens to me, too and I don't

have a dx on the spectrum. I get so frustrated when I can't think of a

word. I used to get angry and try and try to think of it or other ways to

express what I was trying to say = I would holler and point at the place

where it used to be or try to say things like 'you know the thing that sat

beside the thing over here that I used when I needed to get the noodles' or

something like that and my family would just look bewildered and say -' you

mean the colander' and I could just cry that it came so easily to them. but

now I just relax and laugh because what else can I do and it doesn't help to

get angry - just makes it harder. Sometimes if I relax it will come to me

in a few minutes, but usually I will think of it in the middle of the night

when I should be sleeping. My family is supportive and doesn't laugh at me

- or only laughs if I laugh too. <smile>

Mainly - I have learned that I shouldn't feel stupid about it or think that

other people think I'm stupid - I just joke when it happens in public and

say my kids took all my brain cells and I can't think of it right now-

people laugh and usually share a story that it happens to them, too. They

say things like ' It is called being over 40' or 'Having kids' or something

like that and that makes me feel better that they know what it is like.

They don't have to know that I feel like it happens to me a lot more than

them.

I have the hardest time dealing with it though when I am teaching - because

that is the most important thing to me, besides my family, who understand.

But when it happens at work and I am trying to explain something to my

para-pros or my colleagues I have a much harder time not letting myself be

frustrated. It is frightening to not be able to think of the words in

situations like that, too. If anyone has any tricks or ways that they can

'find' those misplaced words, please let me know.

From: Autism_in_Girls

[mailto:Autism_in_Girls ] On Behalf Of sondra

Sent: Friday, June 27, 2008 4:43 PM

To: Autism_in_Girls

Subject: eric