So, one way my ADHD manifests is that my brain will just fucking fumble incoming sounds, particularly if I’m not paying attention beforehand. I’ve been near someone who just turned on the radio to the middle of a song and the music made no sense to me at all, like, it was just really weird noise that sounded like it should make sense but didn’t, until it suddenly clicked and the music made sense again. With words, it happens all the time. Someone will just ambush me with words and instead of “hey, can you put the cap on the blender?” It becomes “hey, can you pole a cat fender?” Or sometimes it becomes just “dsfargeg”. I know that nobody would say either of those things to me, so I use a dual track strategy of both playing with what I think I heard to try and make it make sense as well as asking the other person to repeat themselves. Sometimes, I work it out before they repeat it, sometimes I don’t.
100% agree that this is an ADHD thing. Doesn’t happen to me as often as it seems to happens to you. But sometimes I’ll be actively trying to pay attention to someone talking, and need to have them repeat themselves 3-4 times because the sound isn’t becoming words.
I have this with languages. If I don’t know what language to expect chances are I’m just gonna hear: w̶̛̫̥͚̎̾̍͋̏̽̀̊̉̈́h̴̘̯̜̖̘̦͈̺̍̾̐͆̿͒̂̔̉̒̀̿̈́̓͊͐͝ę̸̪̹͙̣̣̩̝̖͈͚͋͆̎r̵̫̪̲̬̫̾̓̓̑͊͒̈́̾̀̌̀̋̔̚̚͝͝͠e̵̦̤̲͎͑ ̸̲̪̜̒̈̂͝a̴̛̼̬͙̋̐̊̒̅̆͐̀͆̃̋̎͝ṛ̶̹̫̼̦̦̰̠̹̲͎̳͐̿̋ě̵̜͎͎̠̗͐̀ ̸̧̨̨̖̙̭͈̹̺̪̻̹̟̦̺̰̦̍̾̂̑̓̽̔̓͋́̎͑̉̔̏̇͘ẗ̵͓̙̰́̉̇́̊̌̔̄̅̄͛͒̔͒͠͠͠ḧ̶͎̗̯͉̟͉̘̗͈̜͎̝͙̺̙͉̠́̀̉͑̅͐͘͜͝ͅë̴̺͙͎̩̝̞͕̦͎̝͖̹̫͔̬̦̩́̆͒̄͆͆̍̉̍̈͒͌̚͜ͅ ̸̡̙̠͇̱̙̤̺̀̈̇̂̀̍̉̋̕ͅc̶̢̲̣̻͉̬͕̩̣͇͐̅͛̕̕̚ͅa̸͈̱͇̪͋̐̈̿̃̇̋̀̅̊̓̀̐̈̍̕͠ḃ̷̧͇͔͎͉͇̙͓͇͆̉̽͗͒̑b̴̗̬̺̤̳̈́ͅã̶̧̩̠̹̞̯͔͑̓̓̀̅̀̎͒̓͝͠g̸̨̧̧̱͉̱̲̗̬̟̘̟̩̉̋̇͒̎̇̿̋͌̓e̴͈̦̍̅s̸͓̎͆͛̾́͂̚ͅ.
So, one way my ADHD manifests is that my brain will just fucking fumble incoming sounds, particularly if I’m not paying attention beforehand. I’ve been near someone who just turned on the radio to the middle of a song and the music made no sense to me at all, like, it was just really weird noise that sounded like it should make sense but didn’t, until it suddenly clicked and the music made sense again. With words, it happens all the time. Someone will just ambush me with words and instead of “hey, can you put the cap on the blender?” It becomes “hey, can you pole a cat fender?” Or sometimes it becomes just “dsfargeg”. I know that nobody would say either of those things to me, so I use a dual track strategy of both playing with what I think I heard to try and make it make sense as well as asking the other person to repeat themselves. Sometimes, I work it out before they repeat it, sometimes I don’t.
100% agree that this is an ADHD thing. Doesn’t happen to me as often as it seems to happens to you. But sometimes I’ll be actively trying to pay attention to someone talking, and need to have them repeat themselves 3-4 times because the sound isn’t becoming words.
Are you guys saying that’s why I have more trouble than my fellows in understanding people despite having perfect hearing?
It’s definitely one possibility. I wouldn’t diagnose yourself based on a social media thread, though.
I have this with languages. If I don’t know what language to expect chances are I’m just gonna hear: w̶̛̫̥͚̎̾̍͋̏̽̀̊̉̈́h̴̘̯̜̖̘̦͈̺̍̾̐͆̿͒̂̔̉̒̀̿̈́̓͊͐͝ę̸̪̹͙̣̣̩̝̖͈͚͋͆̎r̵̫̪̲̬̫̾̓̓̑͊͒̈́̾̀̌̀̋̔̚̚͝͝͠e̵̦̤̲͎͑ ̸̲̪̜̒̈̂͝a̴̛̼̬͙̋̐̊̒̅̆͐̀͆̃̋̎͝ṛ̶̹̫̼̦̦̰̠̹̲͎̳͐̿̋ě̵̜͎͎̠̗͐̀ ̸̧̨̨̖̙̭͈̹̺̪̻̹̟̦̺̰̦̍̾̂̑̓̽̔̓͋́̎͑̉̔̏̇͘ẗ̵͓̙̰́̉̇́̊̌̔̄̅̄͛͒̔͒͠͠͠ḧ̶͎̗̯͉̟͉̘̗͈̜͎̝͙̺̙͉̠́̀̉͑̅͐͘͜͝ͅë̴̺͙͎̩̝̞͕̦͎̝͖̹̫͔̬̦̩́̆͒̄͆͆̍̉̍̈͒͌̚͜ͅ ̸̡̙̠͇̱̙̤̺̀̈̇̂̀̍̉̋̕ͅc̶̢̲̣̻͉̬͕̩̣͇͐̅͛̕̕̚ͅa̸͈̱͇̪͋̐̈̿̃̇̋̀̅̊̓̀̐̈̍̕͠ḃ̷̧͇͔͎͉͇̙͓͇͆̉̽͗͒̑b̴̗̬̺̤̳̈́ͅã̶̧̩̠̹̞̯͔͑̓̓̀̅̀̎͒̓͝͠g̸̨̧̧̱͉̱̲̗̬̟̘̟̩̉̋̇͒̎̇̿̋͌̓e̴͈̦̍̅s̸͓̎͆͛̾́͂̚ͅ.
I think you’re fine because this sounds totally normal to me
Maybe, but it happens a lot less (that is, not at all) when I’m on my medication.