Aspies For Freedom

I agree! I love automated phone systems!  :grin:

I have found that it helps me to write out what I am going to say to the person before I call. At least what I am going to say first, because you never know where a conversation will go. This is particularly helpful when I will be leaving a message for someone. I try to write the whole thing out or at least the main points of what I am going to say and then read it outloud to leave the message.

Unplug the phone and practicing using it.  Write down what you want to say.  

Actually this is helping me understand something about a friend that I had.  Maybe he just didn't like using the phone to call me.  The only times he would call, he would just have a very short conversation with me and if it wasn't going well, he would just hang up.  

Because the phone conversation is not using body/non-verbal information, it is easier to ask someone what they mean or to clarify information - this should be an advantage to someone with AS rather than more difficult.  I think a phobia can be worked through but your AS will never change.

I just got a wireless phone about 3 months ago. I went with a 450 minute per month plan.  I have used less than 20 minutes total since I got it.  I can't even comprehend why anyone would need so many minutes.  I should have gone with the pay as you go plan.

I hate using phones as well.  I've always felt that way, all through my life.  However, now that I am working, I have had to get more used to speaking on the phone.

Where possible, I try to communicate via email, but when people are busy they often push their emails to one side and take several hours to reply.  So, if I need a quick answer to a question, I have to force myself to ring the person concerned, as they will then probably be able to give me an answer straight away.

I find it helps to write down what I want to say before I dial the number.  Then I have to try really hard to modulate my voice, because I'd be really embarrassed if the other person could tell I was reading from a script!!!

I really hate to use the phone and procrastinate using it as long as possible.  The only times I feel comfortable using it is when I HAVE to make appointments for me or my family.  Or its the only way to order something that I want.  (Thank god for the internet)

The only exception is when I talk to somebody I trust and like AND they call me.

Peace

If somebody would just make a simple cell phone WITHOUT all the fancy bells and whistles.  I'd be more than happy to have one for travelling emergencies, BUT, that seems to be an illusion! :?

Peace

Good point!

Peace

I have to answer the phone as part of my current job (not something I find easy). In a previous job I was also asked to do phone work, but found it too difficult (in the end they got rid of me).

Now, although I still get nervous whenever the phone rings I do manage to pull myself together long enough to deal with the enquiry.

I don't enjoy answering the phone, but being able to has made me more employable. A friend who worked in the same office as myself had a similar phone phobia. He has AS and inspite of being very intelligent (a great artist, musician photographer and science buff) he just couldn't bring himself to do phone work (he lost his job because of it).

The first poem I ever wrote was about my phone phobia (its not very good, but here it is anyway).

On my desk,
A monster sits,
Seven inches tall,

A menacing spectre,
It screams at me,
Braking my silent wall,

Steeling the silence,
It interrupts again,
Into despair I fall,

The screaming banshee,
Demands I act,
To answer it demonic call.

I don't like talking on the phone. I often find phone calls to be a waste of time anyway.

A lot of places accept Email just as well, even though they sometimes respond by phone or more usually be mail.

One thing I'm wondering about is, what would deaf people do? There must be a way to access the emergency services with those special phones or via some other arrangement, perhaps this might be an option for you?

I stay in touch by text messages and Email, end of story

I don't use my phone for calls except for emergencies (and very occasionally booking appointments when it's impossible to do so via the Internet), but without text messages I'd have no social life whatsoever. I haven't had to ring someone to ask them if they wanted to go for a meal/drink etc. in years - I have one or two friends here and another 3 back where I grew up whom I communicate with almost exclusively by email and text messages apart from the couple of times we meet during the year.

I've just looked it up there do seem to be services in place for deaf and mute people to contact emergency services: http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=999+deaf&meta=

If you are liable to be unable to speak in such a situation it is seriously worth looking into.

I wish I could remember enough of any call I made to be able to analyse it

I used to unil I realised you could write text messages with them and surf the Internet

I make about one call a month on it, if that, usually if I have to make calls for appointments etc. at work (I can't stand talking on the phone when others are present, my focus gets ripped in half that way - so I usually sneak out the back door to call instead of doing it from my desk phone).

I have a pay as you go package where topping up by £10 gets you 1MB of Internet access (I would be lost without the "bus tracker" facility of the local bus network, plus I have Gmail installed on my phone too so I can read my mails) and 200 text messages the following month, so I usually top up every other month.

I mostly use the messages to "talk to" my partner and on the rare occasions I feel like going out with a friend everything is arranged by text too.