AuTalkz II - 016 - Speech Nuances

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I had to draw this one instead of the issue I initially planned, because this happens to me WAY too much, and there's nothing more discouraging than trying to tell someone something just to have them get impatient and yell at you because you don't talk like they do.
Other people find it easy to interrupt me because of these nuances in my speech.

I don't have a speech impediment; throwing that out right now.  However, without realizing it, I do "stammer" a little in my speech; I pause at weird spots or in the middle of my sentences and-or say "um" a lot.
When I get excited or worried, it gets even worse.

For those who aren't on the spectrum...please, just let the person complete their thought; let them finish talking.  Don't say ANYTHING until they're done...not even some indication to "hurry up" or "spit it out".  We'll get what we're trying to say across eventually.  Please be patient.

It just makes things WORSE for someone to snarl during this time. 
Personally, I lose motivation to continue...and often times, I either just mutter the rest of the story or walk away feeling really crummy (if it's a good story; if it's something I have to say, like that I accidentally dropped and broke something, I still retreat but will finish what I had to say).

It's scary and disheartening, and I really don't feel like finishing what I started to say.  I want to share something, and I'm being rushed and yelled at many times.  This takes a toll, and eventually, I just stop wanting to share news and stories with people.

Besides having a natural problem with social interactions because of ASD, it's compounded and made worse if people interrupt me, talk over me, or get angry when I don't get to the point straight away.

Encouraging communication should be, well, encouraged...not shot down.  Getting impatient and annoyed is fine, but please do it on your own time.  I know we're high maintenance, but show a little patience when you're listening; you can mutter and rage about it afterwards (and not to us, please) when we're out of earshot.

If I had to try to describe how it feels to be interrupted and "hurried" because of my odd pauses, I'd use words like:
Disheartening, discouraging, frightening, sad...and just generally feeling like an idiot.

I don't talk like that by choice, so...if you know someone on the spectrum who also has nuances in their speech, or doesn't communicate verbally, please....be patient.  Just because we talk differently (or not at all) doesn't mean we're stupid or less deserving of the chance to finish communicating.

Please be patient with us.


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