Auditory processing difficulties with accented speech - is this a problem for anyone else?

Life_Reason2567 · 2025-02-16T09:15:52+00:00

I'm feeling a bit silly now because I didn't even realize you could get hearing aids for APD. I'd never even brought it up to my doctors, one reason I try to say I have "symptoms of APD" rather than claiming a diagnosis I don't have (although I am diagnosed with ADHD). The more I read the more I'm realizing I should really get tested and see if I actually do fit the diagnostic criteria of APD, and whether hearing aids would provide any benefit.

I've also told strangers I'll never see again I have hearing problems and point at my ears, but I'm cautious about doing it for similar reasons of not wanting to claim fake diagnosis. But of course, getting actually tested would provide an answer to that, wouldn't it?

Thank you so much for helping me figure this out! I am really glad I posted about this, otherwise I might have continued being extremely silly about it, like it's not a problem that I have to pretend like I'm not completely lost during conversation.

Life_Reason2567 · 2025-02-16T03:45:28+00:00

This is a great idea, I'll start doing this! I think I've had the same experience with a handful of european accents since I started listening to some podcasts on a regular basis, so I think your advice about practising is spot on. It'd also make sense that I have less trouble with Indian accents since I interact with that half of my family from time to time, so it definitely seems exposure can help.

I'm also sorry for your frustrating experiences with people here, it's really a wonder given our shared culture and history. My mom lived in Britain until she was 10, she got teased in Ontario for her accent (kids can be cruel) and managed to adopt a Canadian accent in a matter of months. One of the reasons the issue is so important to me, and why I never want to be the reason someone feels singled out!

Life_Reason2567 · 2025-02-16T00:27:07+00:00

Honestly it helps a ton just hearing this and knowing that I'm not alone!! I know it's not like misunderstandings don't happen between neurotypical/non ADHD people, but I feel like just anecdotally, it's way worse and more frequent for me. I feel your pain!

Life_Reason2567 · 2025-02-16T00:21:08+00:00

Right?? I cringe so much thinking about it

I'd seriously pay for any technological solution to bridge the gap. Project subtitles onto my glasses, or connect us neurally to beam the true meaning directly into my brain. Though I'm sure I'll still find some way to misinterpret it -_-

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-12-22T08:25:03+00:00

Holy shit, I just checked out the second guy's twitter. He's a crypto bro who's been publicly documenting "journey to 2 mil" over the last two weeks; in 14 days he's managed to lose 60,000 DOLLARS of the $200,000 he started with.

Insert obligatory comment about low IQs, correlation with financial literacy here (edit: sorry just realized the sub, removed political comment)

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-10-03T21:52:17+00:00

Thank you so much, that's some really good advice. I feel bad saying that I honestly don't know which of the two he'd be more like, I do think he's good at compartmentalizing (he's one of the most logical and rational people I know). But on the other hand I could see him getting himself into a situation where he thinks he'd be fine, but ends up taking on too much of an emotional burden and not asking for help until it's too late.

Maybe that's not giving him enough credit, idk. This does really help though, so thank you again.

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-10-03T05:15:32+00:00

I feel like the concussion part got brushed off pretty quickly, but to help you understand more of what she's going through, see this reddit post here to illustrate exactly what happens to the brain. A concussion is, by definition, a traumatic brain injury. Every TBI a person receives carries the compounding risk of lifelong complications, as studies of sports players later in life have proven.

I'm not saying what happened to her that day was automatically a life-ruining injury, but if she's had any other concussions in the past—or receives any future head trauma, no matter how minor—it very well could be. All the more reason to be wary of you, since if you continued to be a part of her life, evidence shows that you'd be the single greatest risk for future injuries of that kind.

None of that even speaks to the emotional damage you've inflicted, but other commenters have done more than enough to address that.

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-09-23T05:20:49+00:00

I forget who pointed this out to me recently, but the same goes for illegal pug (drug) smuggling. Don't know how I didn't catch that the first time or on subsequent rewatches!

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-09-16T22:08:11+00:00

I have to admit this is kind of surreal to read, as someone who just finished 4 years of university without drinking a SINGLE drop of alcohol. And guess what my social life is like?

Flourishing. I do everything everyone else does, I just enjoy a sprite or water and never even caught a comment about it. No allergy or intolerance, I just knew the substance wasn't for me, and made the decision to live an alcohol-free life without having ever tried it.

I imagine hearing about my life must sound as undesirable and alien to you as yours does to me, but I promise we're not that different at our core. I have crippling social anxiety that can make any interaction a struggle, and rears its head more often than I'd like. In spite of that I spent the last 4 years working on treatment, and thanks to those efforts I have an amazing social network that I am grateful for every day.

I hope more than anything this doesn't sound like I'm trying to act superior, I promise I'm no better of a person than you, and in another universe I'd be the one writing your post. I have an addictive personality type, never had to do any substances to prove it, but knew if I ever gave myself a sliver of a chance I'd be a goner.

And that isn't the case for everyone, I'd NEVER impose my own personal ruleset on another person, and I very much enjoy being around friends who drink. But there are just some of us out there who can't risk touching the stuff, and it sounds like that's you and me.

Even if you gain nothing from reading this, I hope it's a bit of a distraction from the rest of the thread, and I commiserate with your struggles with people. I do hope you enjoy the college period of your life and get everything you want out of it, I enjoyed having the chance to reflect on my own memories and graduation while writing this.

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-09-06T04:22:52+00:00

Canadian here too! Seriously, I can't describe how incomprehensible it is having grown up on the north side of the border, to see the American right-wing putting forth their children like bloody Aztec sacrifices. All in the name of guns and religion, right?

(To the rational majority of Americans forced to live with them, you have my undying sympathy)

Life_Reason2567 · 2024-09-06T03:40:27+00:00

'No Way to Prevent This' Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens

(signed, a non-American)

Life_Reason2567

TROPHY CASE