I saw this post on x-twitter that explains this phenomenon which I really relate to:
ADHD and other auditory processing challenged brains will have a delayed ability to process auditory inputs.
But the brain has a pretty nifty feature that stores up to 2 seconds of auditory information… it’s called the “phonological loop”
So, when a brain that struggles to process auditory info takes that info in… even though there’s a delay in processing what that info means… it stays accessible for a short time to be processed when the brain is ready.
Cool, no?
That’s why I constantly answer people like “What did you sa- nvm. Yes, sure!”
Nice Explanation.
Funny how I can think of 3 better punchlines before the guy on TV finishes his joke, but when asked “what time is it?” I’m like “What, oh, uh, I don’t know, wait. it’s probably about 3:30.”
Oh my god I didn’t realize this was a thing but I also respond like that all the time.
See, I have this… but I don’t have ADHD. I’m pretty sure. I think.
IIRC its also common for folks with the 'tism as well. There are a few other sources for this, none of which I can think of at the moment.
A lot of “ADHD” and “Autism” things are actually normal human behaviors but amplified.
My partner is “neurotypical” (inasmuch as that’s actually real) and has some “oh that’s autism/ADHD” behaviors that are similar to my ADHD but nowhere near as severe.
Humans are a weird bunch. Most of us are normal. Some of us have exaggerated behaviors compared to baseline, but that doesn’t preclude baseline from exhibiting similar behaviors.
I actually kind of relate to a bunch of traits typically branded as neurodivergent, I just don’t have them necessarily as strongly or as frequently as I get the impression other people do.
Biased by my neuroscientist background, in that I think labels for neurological conditions are appalling imprecise - I wonder whether it’s just on the spectrum of all human behaviours I have some that are close to but don’t push in to the disruptive territory. I don’t know.
Indeed! Auditory processing disorder can exist independently of ADHD or other disorders, and it can also exist secondarily to acute or chronic disease states like chronic fatigue syndrome 👍
This is because ADHD is primarily driven by overfiring neurons in the frontal cortex, resulting in overuse (and therefore dysregulation) of key neurotransmitters like dopamine and noepinephrine (or so it is understood by science thus far).
Disruptive activity in the frontal cortex and/or neurotransmitter dysregulation can occur under other circumstances such as I mentioned, and both of these factors would be a huge driver in moderating the phonological loop.
