Autism and Phones
Why neurodivergent people find phones such an issue
7/2/20261 min read
Telephones. Argh!
Telephone calls are very stressful for neurodivergent people. The reasons why? Read on
A lack of visual clues, being unable to see the person, means we are unable to assess the person's mood, expressions, and other body language messages.
Processing speech, tone, meaning, whilst the brain is processing, what do I say, how will they react, will they start the conversation, when will I know when it's my turn to speak, how long will the call last, what will the reception be like? At the same time we have to listen, analyse, interpret, and come up with a reply. Result: overwhelm
Speech pattern. I can find it hard to understand someone until I get used to the rhythm of the voice
Video calls are better but still exhausting. We have visual clues, but the processing of their words and replying, is mentally taxing.
One thing that really gets to me is how companies, businesses, benefit offices, etc seem to want everyone to use the phone, whilst stating they offer many ways to contact them. Send an email, it gets ignored or you get a stock reply. Use their contact form, it's the same as an email. Online chat, AI built to only provide basic help. For many issues the only way to get it resolved is by phone. This is plainly ridiculous and discriminatory. What about mutism? What about a speech impediment? Cerebral Palsy? Why do companies insist on people using the phone to contact, especially when you can be on-hold or in a queue for hours.
I like email and text. I can read what the person has said and can formulate a reply at my pace.
Anybody else have the same feelings, or some additional trauma brought about the telephone