Trouble explaining things? - ADD / ADHD Message Board

smz3 · 06-20-2006, 11:52 AM

Anyone have trouble explaining things? Like a movie for instance, you understood the movie, but when asked to explain it doesn't come out right. I can talk about my ideas or contribute to conversations, but don't ask me to explain a movie or a meeting I have attended because I can't. It all comes out in bits and pieces...no natural chronological flow if you know what I mean. The bits and pieces come out all day long and I find myself saying, "Oh! I just remembered another thing!" Anyone relate?

JustMeInID · 06-20-2006, 09:26 PM

YES! It happens to me all the time. And have you ever tried to tell a joke? And keep it in sequence? And tell the punch line? And had people look at you vacantly because the whole thing made no sense?

I don't bother anymore.

Do you ever interrupt yourself with minutiae while you're trying to explain the movie or the meeting?

rheanna · 06-21-2006, 07:58 AM

smz3, yeah, sure sounds like me! I finally figured out that I can write a whole lot more intelligently than I can talk -- but only on the computer. I can look at what I wrote and see the same disjointed flow and same irrelevant side-trips as when I talk. But on the computer I have a chance to re-organize my thoughts and throw out half of what I wrote and when it's finally sent off as email or an article that I've written for some purpose, it makes at least some sense and (most) of the stuff remaining actually belongs to the topic. But that kind of organization is not possible "real time" when I'm speaking. Or when I write on paper.

And JustMeInID, yes my attempts to tell jokes is really lame-o! I just let others tell them now.

--Rheanna

smz3 · 06-21-2006, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustMeInID

YES! It happens to me all the time. And have you ever tried to tell a joke? And keep it in sequence? And tell the punch line? And had people look at you vacantly because the whole thing made no sense?

I don't bother anymore.

Do you ever interrupt yourself with minutiae while you're trying to explain the movie or the meeting?

I am awful at telling jokes and yes!...I get that vacant look like....huh? When you say interupt with minutiae do you mean get distracted by something during conversation and bring it up? I always do.... Kinda like this...(explaining the movie) blah blah blah...oh my gosh! I can't believe the cat just did that did you see it?!....back to explaining the movie.

Another thing I can't do is react quickly to something that is about to happen. Words just won't come out. Like, if I see someone backing up a car and they are going to hit a tree, my body reacts before my mouth does. I'll wave my arms, shake my head and point frantically and only noises will come out of my mouth..."ub jub dub dub...AHHHH!"

JustMeInID · 06-21-2006, 09:53 PM

rheanna, yes. Writing is so simple, yet I sound like a total moron when speaking. I've always thought it would be nice if job interviews could be conducted through instant messaging, rather than face-to-face. And I really admire a good joke teller!

smz3, that's exactly it. My daughter also has ADHD, and our conversations are hilarious. We'll be on 16 different tangents, then forget what we were talking about in the first place, even if it was important. Of course, we don't get a whole lot accomplished that way, but we're very entertaining to whomever is listening. As far as trying to come up with words when you need them -- why DOES that happen, anyway? I'd feel Alzheimer's bound if I hadn't been this way my whole life.