Memory

[ceecee]

I'm confused, not sure if this is typical of aspergers an appalling short term memory..

What I cant understand anything that happened years ago people with as can remember every detail down to the colour of the curtains carpet etc!!!It's very frustrating. also able to remember useless info numbers etc.Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Edited December 3, 2005 by ceecee

[Zemanski]

absolutely typical of many, many AS people

 

Zemanski

[mossgrove]

I too have the ability to remember a completely obscure fragment of information from 20 years ago, but I can forget why I went upstairs even before I have reached the top step!

 

It is common for many people with AS, but not confined to AS.

 

Simon

[ceecee]

I have aspergers .I have absolutely no short term memory problems but can remember every detail of things that happened when I was three.I have been told many times I have a fantastic memory, rather handy when you have two kids or when your packing for four people to go on holiday.I never forget anything.This might sound ideal but not when there is some things you dont want to remeber.I guess its my aspergers that makes my memory like it is .Having said that I cant remeber every make of car or date every film or car number plates but you cant have it all!

Edited December 3, 2005 by ceecee

[lil_me]

My son can remember places and things he did years ago, but as him what he had for dinner the same day and he can't remember

[KarenT]

James has had some rather worrying memory lapses recently, events that were huge and significant to him seem to have dropped out of his head. For example, at the height of his Robot Wars fixation we took him to Gateshead Metrocentre where the actual robots and some of the competitors were on display, he had his photograph taken with them etc and had a fab time, talking about it for weeks. Recently when the obsession resurfaced we reminded him of that day and he couldn't remember any of it. I had to pull up the photographs on the computer before it had any significance, he simply couldn't remember it.

 

There have been other incidents too. Does this sound familiar to anyone else, because it's a bit of a concern for me at the moment.

 

KAren

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[Zemanski]

Karen,this sounds like long term memory loss rather than short term.

 

Short term memory problems slow learning down but are usually copeable with and there are quite a lot of strategies to help people,

long term memory loss is, I think, more unusual and although some people remember more details than others it is not usual to forget significant events as you describe.

 

I would keep taking pictures - they are obviously useful in helping bring back memories

 

I think I would also discuss it with a consultant - it may not be a big issue but it just might be significant and there may be strategies to help your son strengthen his long term memory.

 

Zemanski

[baddad]

Hi Karen -

You don't say how old James is, but if he's around 6-9 this is not that unusual...

long term-long term memory, doesn't tend to kick in properly until about six or seven (some people can remember a number of 'incidents' before this age, but most only 1 or 2, and these tend to be things that are heavilly 're-inforced' by anecdotal memory - i.e. family occassions that are regularly talked about), so even stuff that seems significant before this age gets forgotten. Had a good example myself the other day, when i was singing a muppets song ("1 banana, 2 bananas, one for me and one for you bananas") while I was washing up. Ben laughed and said 'Is that a real song, or have you just made it up?' He was really shocked when i dug out the CD I'd compiled for him when he was about 4, and even more shocked to learn that he sang along to it nearly every day in the car for about a year... Absolutely no memory of it whatsoever! On the other hand, he remembered the Maisie Birthday cake i made him for his 5th birthday perfectly... 1 years difference, but might as well be a lifetime...

Hope that's reassuring

BD

[KarenT]

Thanks for that, Baddad, it does help. I'd been thinking along those lines myself - after a while there must be so memories in there that some of them have to drop out to make room, but it surprised me that James was losing something of such great importance. And yes, he's 6.

 

Zemanski - I've mentioned this to the Autism Liaison Worker, who has promised to check on James in September to see how he's settling in Y2, and will also do some testing of his memory at the same time. Will see what she says and take it fro there.

 

Karen

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[Suze]

Can relate to these memory problems too!.....nice to know your not alone.My son has some fantastic snippets of long term memory. But short term memory is very bad.He struggles to take in anything in a noisy and busy environment.

[smallworld]

Hi,

I have found this thread quite comforting, I have terrible problems with my memory (am taking efalex to see if this helps) I too can remember quite trivial details from over thirty years ago but struggle to remember what day (or date !!) it is. I can remeber telephone /credit card numbers (even the 16 digit one) but struggle to remember what I've done in the previous week. I have a friend whose mother has alzheimers so know I can still do the things they ask sufferers (eg. coin counting and time telling etc.)

My main concern is my inability to remember where we are in the year ( can't rely on the british weather anymore !) Does anyone else have this ? I do find this quite worrying. Sometimes I have noticed that being thirsty makes me more forgetful, so I drink lots of water to try and avoid this.

Perhaps I am just losing it ? I think stress has a big role to play in how much we remember ? My mind quite often goes totally blank when I'm asked a simple question.

I think the constant bombardment of questions beginning with "where's my....?" has done my head in !

 

wac

[KarenT]

I have this all the time, but that's part of ME/CFS. I also expect it's common among parents like us who can't rely on proper rest and sleep - that hardly helps cognitive processes.

 

Karen

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[Mother in Need]

I too was wondering about my son's lack of memory, though with him they are usually the memories of his more negative behaviour. No he does not remember pushing his brother down the stairs the day before. No he does not remember screaming and shouting for over two hours when asked to get off the computer. ETC ETC. It seems to be much more pronounced the more upset he is/was.

He DOES remember criticism but never praise, you can tell him he did something well 100 times, and only once that maybe he could have done it slightly different, and he'll complain for ages that all you ever do is critisize him.

BUT his own behaviour gets completely lost in his memory.

It's interesting to hear that there might be a physiological part to this, like what was mentioned about being thirsty. Has anyone else noticed something like that, either thirst or bloodsugars or stress or whatever? Maybe if we can suss out between us which may be possible triggers are, we can help improve this?

[baddad]

Hi Waccoe - just to reassure you you're not the only one... I can remember tons of stuff about (ie) TV programmes I watched as a kid, and approximately 8 squillion song lyrics, but ask me where I put that letter from the CP...

My absolute worst thing is names - In one ear and out of the other (except for kids - hardly ever forget kids names) - and even every day words just ............disappear when I'm looking for them! Direct questions, too can really throw me. They don't have to be complicated, something like 'where do you live' can result in an absolute blank if it catches me right between the eyes!

Rest assured, it's not just you. I can be...........

L&P

BD

[smallworld]

Thanks Baddad,

Feel much better knowing that I am not alone in.... (what ? what was I going to say ?)

It's the not knowing where we are in the year that totally fazes me, how can you not know whether we just had xmas or easter ? !!!! Thinking about it slightly more rationally, I think it's cos life moves at such a pace when you're a parent(supposedly a grown up) that my child-like brain can't keep up to speed ! I still expect the six week holidays to seem like an eternity, but in reality it will pass like a flash in my actual forties-aged brain. Perhaps if I just grew up, I would be able to remember whether it's spring or summer.

Or perhaps I should just accept that my brain is now totally addled !

 

wac

 

P.S. as an aside, you seem to have stolen much of our record collection, it's uncanny reading your music posts