@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd I know this isn't specifically an autistic/ADHD trait, but I have a lot of trouble remembering people's names. Usually I have to write down the name, take a picture of it, or make an association that sticks. Does this happen to any of you too?
@catswhocode@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd I never forget a face but like you I can't remember names. I've put it down to names for the most part no longer having meaning, like "catswhocode" I would remember far easier than "Jane" or "John" for example.
@catswhocode@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd
Haha yeah I have to do mental association manually unless I meet a person a couple times. Which sucks because I sometimes forget.
@catswhocode@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd I generally have to ask people’s names a few times, before I either just remember or come up with a mnemonic. I tell people when I meet them that if I ask their name repeatedly to not take offence. And they can ask me mine too if they forget without any guilt. I find most people are relieved and agree remembering names is hard.
@Mendie_Taoma@catswhocode@actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd
Possibly. It may just be that names don't carry the same weight for us. That we see people more holistically than just that singular point and therefore retaining it, isn't what's important.
@pathfinder I think another issue with the names is that I'm often thinking about a million things at once when someone tells me their name 😆 @actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd
@pathfinder@catswhocode because: ADHD >> forgetting things; autism >> tendency to not look at faces, sometimes face blindness, and names can also appear as an illogical concept because from our perspective they mean that several identical things (aka random person I have no specific interest in) have different names for no reason (only for people who become significant for me it makes sense to have individual names).
@gaysis I think you're right! I often tend to think someone "looks like" a different name, like "she looks like a Jessica" and her name is something else @pathfinder
@catswhocode@pathfinder yessss so weird. How are people that are completely different allowed to have the same name, and others I can barely tell apart have completely different names.
I really have the habit of not asking people at events for their names at all.
Always, names are some of the most difficult things for me to remember.
I dont write down, or take a photo, because the other person would object or question what I was doing in front of them.
I can forget in seconds, unless I can find an association real quick in my mind, something in my memories with the same name usually works for me to keep the name memorized.
@GreenRoc oh, that sounds even more difficult! my wife has face blindness too. I tend to remember faces pretty well, though - not sure why the names are so difficult. @actuallyautistic@actuallyadhd
In contrast, I can remember the layout of buildings and paths upon my first visit, much much easier than any name or face.
A skill I naturally have, which often is most useful when I am playing PC games (dungeons more specifically)
I'm terrible at directions when someone wants street names, but really good at recalling left and right directions at which visual cue (after only seeing the choice once).