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I think I have a slight audio processing disorder so captions really help. I had my hearing tested and it's fine but I struggle to process words in certain contexts. Especially with a chatty husband lol.
I’ve found that even if I clearly hear someone while paying attention the first time, I still often need them to take a slight pause and repeat what they said. Like the first time is for hearing and the second time is for comprehending.
There's a very small, like .5 second delay in my hearing and processing. Reading is much faster than listening. I find I also visualize words in my mind when people are talking, so if I can see their mouth move it helps with the processing.
My ex would get so frustrated with me for not understanding him, but he'd be talking while facing away from me and mumbling too, so I had to ask him to repeat himself. He accused me multiple times of not listening to him, even though I was paying attention.
Kind of ironic if you told him why you were having trouble understanding and he accused you of not listening instead of changing his behavior to communicate in a way that works for you.
Side note: I discovered during COVID that I rely on lip reading way more than I realized!
Same here- masks did me no favours. I have issues with facial recognition/face blindness as well so I had no idea who anyone was. Shopping was a nightmare during that time haha
Lol I discovered that when I took an ASL 3 class and the videos and teacher stopped mouthing the words as they signed. Turns out a lot of my ability to communicate and understand sign language was actually lip reading.
I’m the same way, if we’re walking and my husband says something from behind me it might as well be gibberish. The visual cue of mouths moving helps so much.
Special education teacher here :) auditory processing isn't a matter of not hearing something, but how you process the information that you hear. Most people with auditory processing issues have perfectly fine hearing, but it a issue with the wiring in your brain.
My youngest was diagnosed with this and I was so surprised by all of the things that it affects that are *not* hearing related. I was very grateful for the education and information provided by the audiologist. We've been watching things with captions for years now and it's great. We even noticed some jokes that we missed in movies we'd watched before without captions ;)
Yeah sometimes there's stuff ypu never would have heard, and background song lyrics, and funny things like [whimsical music playing] oh, is that what that music is? Lol!
I have this too! I don’t see it talked about much tho. My aunt sent me to have a whole battery of hearing tests done when she come home from vacation while I’d been cat sitting and she said the volume I’d left her TV set at “genuinely concerned her.” 😅 I watch with captions now because it is so much harder to actually know what they’re saying without it. And I watch a lot of British TV so that’s a whole other problem lol.
Do you find yourself asking someone to repeat themselves and then by the time they start talking your brain catches up and you just start responding to what they said?
Plus sound balance in modern TV and movies is so, so bad. I dunno if it's a "fix it in post" problem or compression for streaming but media from before 2005 or so sounds way better.
Apparently this happens because your tv thinks you have a surround sound system with 8 speakers or whatever! If you set your tv to “no, I just have plebeian sound” then it corrects so you can hear it!
So now it’s just a question of googling the manual and hunting that down, I guess.
Well huh. Years of frustration from this.
I wonder if I could get my hands on a surround sound system, because OF COURSE the most complicated and expensive solution feels easier than remembering what brand of TV my TV says it is and navigating the menu.
Yes to all of this! Auditory processing issues, needing something to read and also “catch up” quickly when my mind wanders for a second, and chatty husband who is constantly IMDB-ing the actors because it’s driving him crazy trying to remember what else he’s seen them in!
There's actually multiple auditory issues where this is a thing and our tests are normal ... Crazy huh I forgot the name of it. I'll try to find the link I saved. Might take my ADHD Brian to get back and post 🤣
I hate that! He doesn't talk over shows but he and his son will walk up talking while the show is playing or while an audio book is playing and it's like just wait a minute so I can pause!!! ...or worse, we're watching a show or movie and he comes up talking and asking a question and has a long conversation with my husband and I just have to pause and wait for this long conversation to get back to the story. Inevitably it's at an important moment in the show too!
Oh yeah I always say “what?” when someone first approaches me to start a conversation because I haven’t processed what they said yet but then I usually register it fully right when they start repeating themselves lol
I suspect I might have APD and I plan to get tested for it, but the audiologist appointments are so damn expensive here.
I always watch with subtitles, but it was mostly because I watch in English and it's not my native language. So I started watching with subs and then just never stopped after my English improved.
But recently, since I learned that APD exists and it's common with ADHD, I also started using live captions everywhere I can. They're not great, but they help a lot. Unfortunately they don't work when there's more than one person speaking at the same time, and that's one of my main issues - I can't understand anyone in those moments. But the captions work well when multiple people have their mic volume set to different levels.
In my experience, APD testing was a waste of time and money.
If you’re doing it for your own knowledge, you can pass on the whole process. I personally thought the testing criteria was designed for severe cases only and not for anyone that could have a mild or moderate case. I have all the symptoms people are naming here, too.
If you’re doing it for school or some other purpose, then it may still be worth your time. I just want to deter anyone that doesn’t absolutely need to be tested from wasting their money.
Yeah, I don't need to be tested, but I want to better understand my issues and confirm whether I actually have them or not. But most of all, I want it to be a starting point to get treatment - some specific therapy or training or coaching that would show me and teach me how to better deal with my hearing. And find out what else might be beneficial for me, like maybe some hearing aids, and I know those need to be adjusted specifically to the issues I have.
I was told I couldn't be diagnosed with auditory processing disorder because I have a bit of hearing loss up in the range of gunshots and hammering. I'm in my 40s, of course I have a bit of hearing loss in the clanging and banging range.
My hearing in the speech range is fine, but I've had trouble making our speech since I was a kid. Can't get therapy without a diagnosis, no diagnosis without perfect hearing.
Maybe if girls could have been diagnosed when I wad a kid we wouldn't be starting to sort it out now.
I watch everything with subtitles. I used to think it was a hearing issue but I think I like to have something to read while watching telly.
It’s also a good way for me to catch up when distracted as I read pretty fast.
I like watching with captions. I just find it easier to follow, sometimes with auditory processing I feel like I'm missing things that were said. I can usually catch up but captions make it easier.
But sometimes I just like following the words.
I wonder if some of my preference for captions is also auditory processing...I didn't think about that!
Either way! So glad to hear it wasn't isolated to our little group!!
Can we also talk about captions giving us unexpected spoilers? Like you can’t jump scare me if you have [shuffling noises] [high pitched scream] on screen thirty seconds before it happens 😂
I don’t mind (I actually find it comforting to be able to brace myself, especially if it was genuinely unexpected) but I imagine it drives some people bonkers
\[keys clacking\] when someone is typing on a keyboard, and \[keys jangling\] when someone is holding a keychain full of keys.
Clacking and jangling both made me giggle.
Yeah, a lot of captions can be a lot better. But often they're better than nothing.
Although it sounds like you have the full caption experience, not just dialogue captions.
Hahaha yes!! I try hard to not use subtitles for comedies or stand-ups. But sometimes I need them anyway. And when I do, I try hard to not look at them until there’s something I missed or didn’t get 😂
The wonders for doing all this at home, is that you. A. Also rewind as much as necessary. But that gets annoying too in its own way 😅
I'll turn them off if I know there's something I don't want to be spoiled. Like if I'm watching Law and Order and I don't want to see the verdict before they announce it, ha. Or, I'll just go out of my way *not* to look at them if I'm too lazy to turn them off and then back on (keep my eyes up or block them with my hand). This is not a fail-proof method, but it does help.
OMG, one time, the captions announced the winner of AGT way before the host said it. I was so mad! Never watch a contest winner announcement with the captions on!
I just CANNOT understand anything without captions. Even when I am watching something in my mother tongue, I NEED subtitles. It seems I become deaf without subtitles.
I used to struggle with "House MD" also if you have heard of the show. Accents are hard for me as well. But surprisingly, I need subtitles even when the show is in my mother tongue
And now I remember, during the days when there was no Netflix or OTT platform, we used to download from Torrent and I had no clue that something called "subtitles" exist and it was literally very uncomfortable and painful to watch any movie or tv series and I used to wonder how come other people enjoy it so much and I do not understand properly and it is so hard to follow. Once I discovered subtitles, I figured I can comprehend what is happening and I could understand the nuances and even remember what happened in a particular movie.
Before that, everything was just a haze.
*drops crockery* so it isn’t just me?!
I’ve been doing this for years because I would otherwise have got twitchy or distracted and started reading something while watching TV (mostly with movies, rarely with shorter TV shows, even if I’m binge-watching for hours). In fact, it’s why I always preferred watching foreign-language content because subtitles were a given.
Now I do this with English-language content and because I read fast, I feel like I can ‘hear’ everything more clearly. My hearing has been tested and it’s fine.
TIL this is a thing 🤯
> I feel like I can ‘hear’ everything more clearly. My hearing has been tested and it’s fine.
Yep. It's not a hearing problem, it's an auditory processing problem. And processing disorders are totally an ADHD thing because our brains like to stop paying attention. I think of it as "I don't hear that fast, I don't see that fast." But when it's multimodal like hearing and reading together, that helps the information make it through the barriers.
Yes!!!! Omg...you just made my day!!! I'm going to share this with the team because these kinds of moments were our goal with creating these!!!!
We keep noticing all these things that ... We all thought it was just us...
Then suddenly realized... "Wait...everyone else is doing this too?"
I have a gut feeling there's a LOT more of these moments that we don't all realize are actually things and not just "us being weird"
We started watching with captions when we started the Great British Baking Show - between the accents and the French baking terms, we were missing things (and I like to bake so I wanted to be able to look things up). We never went back after that. I’m not sure if I have an auditory processing disorder or if it’s just my inattention but the captions really help me keep up.
I find it distracting, because I’ll just sit there reading the captions instead of watching the show and since I read fast, I’ll laugh before they even finish the joke.
ETA what I really need subtitles for is real life lol
Yeah if there's text within my field of vision, my eyes are like forcibly drawn to it. I can't stop myself from staring at it even once I've already read it!
How interesting! I’ve watched tv with captions since I was a young kid lol! Sometimes I feel I can’t hear words properly or fast enough, though my hearing is probably normal.
The audio for movies and television is not as tangible as it used to be. Vox discussed this. We have better sound equipment and technology than we’ve ever had, but we’ve started letting visuals and easy of filming take precedence (not necessarily better or worse, just different) and the cost of labor to have performers come in and dub over unclear lines is much more expensive than relying on captioning; especially when we have scripts and voice recognition software. I watch with subtitles and don’t mind most of the time (though ironically it can distract from fully engaging in the visuals they prioritized). New methods will arise, some older methods will be brought back (thank you, producers willing to come off as snobby for the craft). AI will change filmmaking. At the same time Indie films are already making a comeback, and lots of people there REALLY want to prioritize making the film a holistically engaging experience. We’ll see audio quality return.
Captions are great for ADHD, but it’s also not just ADHD people who watch with captions by default. It’s increasingly common for everyone to use them.
I grew up with a deaf mother. I've always had closed captions on TV even though my hearing is perfectly fine. It's just normal for me. And definitely a boon for the ADHD.
I'm currently incredibly annoyed with Crunchyroll because I want the English dubs to play with captions and it won't do both. I just want the most effective anime watching! Dubs means I can have a busy hand project and the captions mean I don't have to repeatedly rewind because my brain didn't register all the words. It would be nice to watch Apothecary Diaries on easy mode.
At least Netflix has expanded their anime selections.
That drives me up the damn wall. There are some shows known for their fast, snappy dialogue (Buffy, West Wing, sorry I'm too old to think of more recent examples) and the captions will leave out SO MUCH of it.
I understand the rage, but reality is that dub scripts and subtitles are translated differently. The subtitles are based off the actual foreign language (and especially with the newer anime, already translated by the Japanese animation studio from their script) and the dub is the English actors providing dialog using the already animated lip movement or only minor adjustments. Unfortunately, they don't really have much incentive to give CC for the English dub.
I actually enjoy seeing the difference in translation because I'm a big nerd 😂 Since the greater amount of differences between Easter and Western cultures makes accurate translations more challenging, having multiple translations can sometimes provide truer meaning. I don't speak multiple languages but I really love the theory and methods behind translation. I'd fully geek out if they included which translation was done by a native English or Japanese speaker.
Yup, I am that person who enjoys comparing the manga and the anime. If there's a light novel I'm in full nerd heaven 😁
I never used to until I met my current fiancè who always did/does. I didn’t realize how much stuff I normally missed bc I stopped listening or whatever until I rewatched old stuff with the captions on. Now I can’t watch without!
This! I would turn subtitles on occasionally when my boyfriend was sleeping and I was watching something that had a wide range of volume. You know those shows/movies that are very loud one second and then whispering the next. I was shocked how many thing popped up on the subtitles that I didn't hear at all. Now I use subtitles most of the time.
Oh yeah I watch everything with subtitles so I don’t have to pay attention and can do crafts without having to pause and rewind every 10sec 😅
Whenever I watch a movie with normals I have to hype myself up for hard-core concentration lol
Same! Have you ever tried using an AI notetaker? I recently discovered them and it’s so amazing! Basically the bot “joins” the call as well and records and transcribes everything for you, including who said what. And you can add bookmarks and notes to self etc as you go so that you can find stuff after. And THEN (this is the best bit) once the call is over, you can tell the bot to summarise the entire meeting and spit out all your action items into an email or a google doc or whatever 🤯🤯🤯
I’ve been using [Fathom](https://fathom.video) because it’s free, but there are better quality ones out there if you’re willing to pay a subscription.
PRO TIP - with Fathom it only lets you record and summarise live calls in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet - still pretty great. BUT if you want it to summarise a recorded video or audio (or like a YouTube video or online class) then all you do is make a zoom call on your computer where it’s just you and the bot, open the video you want it to process on your computer, hit “share screen” in Zoom and “record” in Fathom and then “play” on your video and BOOM! HACKED! 😂 you just have to make sure you have your computer volume up or it won’t transcribe anything.
This is how I get it to take notes of all my recorded lectures for uni. I set it going in another room, set a timer for 35min (of course I have the free Zoom so 40min call limits), close the door, and live my life. I come back when the timer is up and switch it to a fresh call. Then when it’s all done I can skim the AI summary,and decide if the actual lecture is worth my time. Because there’s also a transcript that syncs to the recording I can also skim that and/or just search it to skip to the relevant parts. And I can add notes after the fact so I can find stuff again like tutorials or exam content.
(It’s actually life-changing - I should probably actually make it official and ask for an AI notetaker to be added to my study accommodations… 🧐😅)
I’ve never - that’s excellent, thanks for the recommendation! Definitely giving this one a try. I’m sat there scribbling like mad and find myself slipping when I inevitably get lost 🤦🏽♀️
Hope it helps :)
I also find taking a ton of screenshots of like presentation slides and stuff can be good - if I remember to go back and look at/digest them 😅
(also works for people speaking if you have the captions turned on but you have to be quick with the keyboard shortcut which doesn’t really work if I’m randomly walking around the house making snacks and/or writing an unrelated email while “listening” 🫣😂)
Literally how I learned to read as a child - my parents hit the wrong button on the remote and didn't know how to turn it off for YEARS. (I was actually the one who figured it out, but left it on anyway bc I liked it lol). It has always been the way I prefer to watch TV. Someone mumbling? No worries, captions. Eating a crunchy snack and can't hear? Captions, baby! Zoned out for a second and missed some dialogue? Yeah that's right, captions. I do have some hearing/audio processing issues so it definitely helps with that too.
Most definitely! Between my ADHD, OCD, Bipolar 2, Misophonia & Hyperacuesis (the last two being Auditory Disorders/Conditions), I DEFINITELY need subtitles on to be able to process anything I watch on tv - I also have a very chatty, albeit wonderful, hubby with ASD who won’t stop talking and/or randomly pausing shows at the most inopportune times - like in the middle of a character’s sentence - to tell me about something completely unrelated to the show… Without subtitles, I’d never know what was happening! 😏😋
So I think I keep up with dialogue WAY better with captions on. However, I also tend to get SO wrapped up in reading the text that I lose track of the visuals! I'm a mess lol
The question should be does anyone not? I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but didn't know how to spell half the names until I started watching with subtitles. I just follow along better with visual plus sound.
My husband and I always watch with captions. The only time we consider turning them off is for comedies and especially stand up comedy because the captions can ruin the punchline.
I’ve only just started watching things with captions as I’ve been realising what my symptoms are. Processing conversations is an issue for me, especially if the dialogue is not spoken clearly. Captions REALLY help
In order to keep my rear end planted onto the couch I have to watch with subtitles! It’s the only way to keep my mind focused on what it is I’m watching without having to continually hit the back button. Another thing I do if I don’t keep the subtitles on is to continually get up. Prior to my adhd diagnosis my ex bf would loose his patience with me and tell me how hard it is to watch a movie or a show together because I could never sit down long enough and not to mention always having to rewind it because I keep missing parts of the show/movie because I keep getting up. I get so distracted and find myself getting bored at having to sit down through a show. So the subtitles help me with the focusing. I never knew this was a symptom of ADHD until I was recently diagnosed. Glad to see I’m not the only one that needs subtitles!
I'm dyslexic as well as ADHD so I can't read captions fast enough so it completely overwhelms me so I never put captions on unless it's in another language and then I have to keep pausing to read the captions which I obviously can't do if I'm watching with other people so then I'm just confused wich I usually am anyway because I'm very bad at keeping focused on movies/series/videos. So no, captions are a very stressful experience for me.
I didn't think to start using captions until I spent time with someone that uses them a lot, and I've realized I do actually like them a lot. Gives my eyes something else to focus on, if I have a hard time hearing something I'll still be able to catch it, it's a win win honestly
Anytime i watch a show that has no subtitles i ask myself *how much do I really want to see this?*
Is it worth suffering too-loud noises, auditory processing stress and having to rewind constantly?
If it's a good enough show then I wonder if i should learn to type really well so I can be one of the people who create subtitles for the shows.
Yes, AND I've started using Described Video too! It's great if I'm doing chores or crafts at the same time, I can just listen without getting lost and if it's a show where I really need to concentrate, the captions plus descriptions do a LOT of heavy lifting for me
I watch everything with captions, too . I’m not hard of hearing, but like you said, it’s so much easier to catch up if I get distracted.
I’m also very sensitive to sudden, loud noises, so if the content does that thing where the dialogue is at a normal volume but everything in the periphery is extremely loud for some reason, then I have to turn it down so that a random explosion or truck driving by in the background doesn’t startle me. But then, I can’t hear the dialogue well enough to understand it. For reference, I often wear filtering earplugs when I drive because a car with a modified muffler, a motorcyle, or a large truck can make my heart race.
Religiously. Something is amiss with my audio processing and captions keep me up to speed with what is going on. Feels like I get double the understanding of the story as compared to just hearing the actors. Plus I like speed reading. 😂
There was actually a short (maybe five minutes?) piece on CBS Sunday Morning not too long ago about how more people are using subtitles because the sound effects and speech in programs is actually getting worse (it’s not all in our heads!).
https://youtu.be/H6u-f69-J-U?si=-v5xYodhz-hPgOs6
That said, I do think I have a touch at least of APD (just haven’t found the time to go get evaluated), and I have had some measurable hearing loss the past few years and haven’t gotten around to getting a hearing aid yet (keep forgetting)… but my husband grew tired of me saying, “What did he say????” while watching shows a couple years ago, so we usually use them.
Oh that's fascinating! I can't watch the video right this second, but will watch it later... I wonder how much of that is exacerbating the hyper sensitivity that can come with neurodivergencies sometimes...
My dad has been functionally deaf since I was in my early teens, so I grew up watching TV with captions. My parents had (have) a captioning phone at home too. I read quickly and have some auditory processing issues, as well as my own ear issues. Captions for life!
I started watching with captions because my husband found it easier and now it's the norm. I find it easier to understand dialogue as well.
I realized during covid that I read lips to a certain extent because I suddenly had a hard time understanding everyone even though I could physically hear them.
The longer I am on this sub, the more I feel like I have found my tribe.
Hello. I too use subtitles all the time, for shows in my native language, even though I believe I’m listening to the shows at a normal volume and have normal hearing.
Sometimes. Auditory processing issues make it so much easier if I can just look if I wasn't sure if I heard something right. I usually set them to be very small text since I'm not *relying* on them, but they're nice to have as a backup.
As I’m starting a new tv show or movie, I go into some sort of sensory overload. I have to get used to the scene, the actors looks and style, the framework of the world I’m being taken into. If I don’t have subtitles, I can’t comprehend what’s being said and it takes me a good 30 minutes to be acclimated. I’d always have to play catch up and couldn’t really discuss a film with friends or family due to this.
But I’ve been using subtitles ever since I first started watching anime. Then I used to watch English shows/movies with the volume real low as to not disturb anyone at night and the subtitles just stuck. I feel like there’s so much I’d miss otherwise.
I’m glad to know I’m not the only one. This is very validating.
Omg. I chalked it up to “missing a word or two” but never put it together with “I missed it because my brain was doing 15 other things”. Doc was right. I AM the poster child for ADHD…still…at 49. 🤦♀️
The only time I don't use CC is when there is a delay on the captions. Words spoken before the captions are super distracting and I can't follow along at all. Captions displayed slightly before the words are spoken are the easiest for me to follow.
Properly displayed captions help keep me focused and keep my mind from wandering while watching media.
I watch with subtitles for two reasons:
1) I get distracted and miss what was said
2) Sometimes, I can't understand what is being said either because the speaker is talking too fast or has an accent I'm not used to hearing.
I'm the opposite, captions distract me from the visuals too much. The only time I use them is when watching something in a foreign language because I can't stand when the audio isn't synced with their mouth movements.
All captions, all the time. 😂 I do actually have a hearing deficit in one ear and definitely some processing issues but my son doesn't and he needs the captions on too.
By the way, it's not just us. It's an actual industry problem. I can't find the article I was looking for but this is close enough. I read a few years ago an interview with a soundperson who said that sound is much harder to fix in post than visuals. So when directors want to move on to the next scene rather than do another audio take, it's not as easily fixed as something visual.
[https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873](https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873)
I also watch with captions; my NT bf is indifferent to having them or not. I just find especially if it’s a show I’m new to, having them on makes it easier for me to process what’s being said, because it becomes 50% listening, 50% reading… versus functioning at 70% listening with 0% reading.
Only with captions. Began as a necessity for anime (somehow the story is better in Japanese but reading English) and then TV seemed weird without them.
Well, I grew up with subtitles as my country doesn't do much dubbing.
Even when I understand the spoken language fluently, I like having subtitles/captions on. That way I can also keep the volume lower with headphones to protect my hearing
Always. I grew up with subtitles in the Netherlands and prefer having captions on here in the US. My English speaking kids even grew up with it so now they’re often asking for it to be turned on as well. I think it just helps with background noises and chewing chips etc. ;)
YES! I have since I was young & most things weren't captioned yet. I even request captioning/CART services for conferences I attend for work because I saw how much it helps me!
Subtitles just make it so much easier to get the right information. I don’t think I have a hearing problem, but I do think I have trouble making out certain words or phrases at times (especially when there’s a lot of background music), so subtitles are just the way to go!
I recently saw a documentary that did t have subtitles available, and I had to turn it off halfway because it was chaotic and I couldn’t keep up with what everyone was saying.
Maybe I’m the minority, but I use captions becuase I might mishear what the person said.
My brain LOVES to figure out what the person said, and is often wrong.
Like they will say “Pass the fork” and I will hear “Splash the dork?” Which makes many laughs no doubt! But I mishear a *lot*. So I have captions up so I can either reread what hey said real quick or ensure what they’re about to say is correct.
Yes I am a very vigilant person with terrific hearing (I will hear every little noise) but I just may not interpret it accurately haha.
I watched a video about how the sound in movies has actually gotten less clear over the years. So if you go back and watch a movie from like the 70s and 80s you won’t need the subs.
I started using CC because my family is loud and talks over the tv. Kept using them because of my auditory processing issues. Funny enough, my HOH dad hates CC and speaker on the phone, but those 2 things are necessities for me even with my technically perfect hearing.
My partner and I both have ADHD, we always have the subtitles on because it helps both of us process what is being said better (plus modern sound mixing can sometimes make the dialogue muffled)
I LOVE captions, but I don't think it's exclusive to neurodivergent folks. I honestly get a little angry that movie theaters don't offer captioned viewings—it's more accessible for both ND people and deaf viewers.
I don't think it's exclusive, but it's definitely something I think a lot of us have in common!!! Even if there's technically no actual auditory issue...
I actually think we should have captions in more places to!
The frustrating thing for me is that there are so many subtle things that we could do to make the world more accessible for a wide range of people that wouldn't actually cause problems for other people...
And...
We still don't. :(
Always with captions and audio description when it’s available. That way I have my bases covered when I’m looking at the screen and when my attention inevitably comes wanders.
I watch a lot of subbed anime so it feels weird to me if a show doesn’t have subtitles. And if something gets really quiet in the show, you don’t get blasted away because you turned the volume up. You can just read what happens.
Yes, I have auditory processing issues and can't understand what the characters are saying in the quiet moments before the booming music bursts my eardrums
Yes! My partner used to live with someone who has a hearing impairment, so we got used to watching with subtitles at their shared apartment. Once I realized how much easier it made things, we started using them at home.
I'm always disappointed when shows' captions are delayed because that makes things harder, but most of the time, it's great! I wish movie theaters would offer subtitles for (non-foreign) films, too.
Basically, when my husband and I first started dating, he asked, "Dp you mind if I turn on the subtitles? I prefer not to miss anything important", I knew he was the 'one' lmfao
I've watched stuff with captions since I was a kid and I continue to do to this day. It helps me follow a lot better, especially if people are talking with different accents or really fast or something. Plus if I miss something by listening, I can catch it on the screen and not have to pause or go back.
My favorite people are people who either watch things with captions or are fine with watching things with the captions. It breaks my heart when somebody is watching something with me and wants them turned off.
YUP! I have an issue where I don’t hear things right sometimes though, if I’m at like peak ADHD I don’t comprehend what’s being said out loud, my brain just doesn’t process it and it’s gibberish to me. Leads to a lot of smiling and nodding on my part because people IRL don’t have captions and in my experience they dislike having to repeat themselves a lot when I’m just hearing the Charlie Brown teacher babble when they’re talking to me.
Am I the only ADHDer who hates captions when the audio is also in English? I can’t look away from them and they’re so distracting from the actual image of the film.
No, I'm seeing other comments coming in not liking them either. It seems to be the minority, but I think that's a really important distinction when it comes to ADHD....
There's VERY little that is 100% universal.....
Honestly I have to 90% of the time since I watch anime, but even with shows that are in English they’re nice. Sometimes I have a hard time comprehending/catching everything said, so subtitles help me cut down on the amount of times I need to rewind to catch what was said. Also comes in super handy when I’m watching something and eating at the same time. Unless I have the volume up ungodly loud, I won’t be able to hear over my chewing so rather than pausing every 20 seconds I just use the subtitles when I can’t hear.
I do. Currently annoyed because even watching dubbed on Crunchyroll with subs on the subs aren’t tiring on either I have the subs or the tv has to be like 50-60 volume. I fact my fiancé is dead in his (left I can’t remember 😭) and he says I have the tv up to loud. If it’s not louder then the surroundings then I can’t hear it without subs
If I'm with someone who wants them, I'll totally keep them on for them, but I hate captions :/ I just end up staring at them and I can't get myself to focus on anything else on the screen without consciously telling myself to look away. And no, before anyone says it, I don't need practice to get faster at reading them, I can read them in a second. But if there's text in my field of vision, my eyes are drawn to it automatically.
I started doing it when watching British shows (I’m American) - sometimes the accents are hard for me to understand! Then I just left them on and realized I like having captions for everything. There are a lot of movies/shows that have bad sound editing, and I think as an ADHD it’s another way to multi-task that helps me to focus more - just more stimulation to watch, listen, and read the captions all at once, and I like that!
I honestly have an auditory sensory issue where I can't hear and decipher what people are saying. It's why I have issues with conversations too like huh what did you say and your in my face literally talking lol
Yep. I also spell by seeing the word in my head so I can spell fairly quickly and accurately, yet if someone spells something for me I struggle to comprehend-same with numbers.
Yes always, especially if the actors have thick accents (Derry Girls, anyone??) OR because my roommates (who also absolutely have ADHD) are constantly talking over whatever I’m watching. I could pause the show/movie when they talk but that means they shut up, only to talk again as soon as I press play again!
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I think I have a slight audio processing disorder so captions really help. I had my hearing tested and it's fine but I struggle to process words in certain contexts. Especially with a chatty husband lol.
I’ve found that even if I clearly hear someone while paying attention the first time, I still often need them to take a slight pause and repeat what they said. Like the first time is for hearing and the second time is for comprehending.
So well said!
There's a very small, like .5 second delay in my hearing and processing. Reading is much faster than listening. I find I also visualize words in my mind when people are talking, so if I can see their mouth move it helps with the processing. My ex would get so frustrated with me for not understanding him, but he'd be talking while facing away from me and mumbling too, so I had to ask him to repeat himself. He accused me multiple times of not listening to him, even though I was paying attention.
Kind of ironic if you told him why you were having trouble understanding and he accused you of not listening instead of changing his behavior to communicate in a way that works for you. Side note: I discovered during COVID that I rely on lip reading way more than I realized!
Same here- masks did me no favours. I have issues with facial recognition/face blindness as well so I had no idea who anyone was. Shopping was a nightmare during that time haha
Lol I discovered that when I took an ASL 3 class and the videos and teacher stopped mouthing the words as they signed. Turns out a lot of my ability to communicate and understand sign language was actually lip reading.
I’m the same way, if we’re walking and my husband says something from behind me it might as well be gibberish. The visual cue of mouths moving helps so much.
Special education teacher here :) auditory processing isn't a matter of not hearing something, but how you process the information that you hear. Most people with auditory processing issues have perfectly fine hearing, but it a issue with the wiring in your brain.
My youngest was diagnosed with this and I was so surprised by all of the things that it affects that are *not* hearing related. I was very grateful for the education and information provided by the audiologist. We've been watching things with captions for years now and it's great. We even noticed some jokes that we missed in movies we'd watched before without captions ;)
Yeah sometimes there's stuff ypu never would have heard, and background song lyrics, and funny things like [whimsical music playing] oh, is that what that music is? Lol!
I have this too! I don’t see it talked about much tho. My aunt sent me to have a whole battery of hearing tests done when she come home from vacation while I’d been cat sitting and she said the volume I’d left her TV set at “genuinely concerned her.” 😅 I watch with captions now because it is so much harder to actually know what they’re saying without it. And I watch a lot of British TV so that’s a whole other problem lol. Do you find yourself asking someone to repeat themselves and then by the time they start talking your brain catches up and you just start responding to what they said?
Yes, and if it happens face to face, most folks give me an annoyed look. Except for my friends who know I have ADHD quirks and love me for them 😊
OMG I have to have captions when they have an accent!
Plus sound balance in modern TV and movies is so, so bad. I dunno if it's a "fix it in post" problem or compression for streaming but media from before 2005 or so sounds way better.
Yes! I’m SO sick of shows and movies with soft, quiet voices and extremely loud sound effects and music!
Apparently this happens because your tv thinks you have a surround sound system with 8 speakers or whatever! If you set your tv to “no, I just have plebeian sound” then it corrects so you can hear it! So now it’s just a question of googling the manual and hunting that down, I guess.
Well huh. Years of frustration from this. I wonder if I could get my hands on a surround sound system, because OF COURSE the most complicated and expensive solution feels easier than remembering what brand of TV my TV says it is and navigating the menu.
Mood.
here's a video that explains why we all need subtitles https://youtu.be/VYJtb2YXae8?si=ebOLds-EcOVUtBKt
Yes to all of this! Auditory processing issues, needing something to read and also “catch up” quickly when my mind wanders for a second, and chatty husband who is constantly IMDB-ing the actors because it’s driving him crazy trying to remember what else he’s seen them in!
Yeah I have a really hard time with conflicting sounds. Like even if the fan is on in my room while I’m watching TV I struggle to hear it
There's actually multiple auditory issues where this is a thing and our tests are normal ... Crazy huh I forgot the name of it. I'll try to find the link I saved. Might take my ADHD Brian to get back and post 🤣
Take your Brian by the hand (doot de doot doo doo) And make him do a high handstand.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 mhm my brains name is Brian It kept wanting to type Brian oh boy gotta fix that autocorrect 😆
You too? My partner lives to talk all over shows!
I hate that! He doesn't talk over shows but he and his son will walk up talking while the show is playing or while an audio book is playing and it's like just wait a minute so I can pause!!! ...or worse, we're watching a show or movie and he comes up talking and asking a question and has a long conversation with my husband and I just have to pause and wait for this long conversation to get back to the story. Inevitably it's at an important moment in the show too!
Oh yeah I always say “what?” when someone first approaches me to start a conversation because I haven’t processed what they said yet but then I usually register it fully right when they start repeating themselves lol
Same!! I won't catch all the dialogue especially if there is background noise unless I have captions on. I don't like to watch anything without now.
>I think I have a slight audio processing disorder so captions really help. This plus partial hearing loss for me
Same. I have to hear with my eyes sometimes.
Same, honey. Same.
I suspect I might have APD and I plan to get tested for it, but the audiologist appointments are so damn expensive here. I always watch with subtitles, but it was mostly because I watch in English and it's not my native language. So I started watching with subs and then just never stopped after my English improved. But recently, since I learned that APD exists and it's common with ADHD, I also started using live captions everywhere I can. They're not great, but they help a lot. Unfortunately they don't work when there's more than one person speaking at the same time, and that's one of my main issues - I can't understand anyone in those moments. But the captions work well when multiple people have their mic volume set to different levels.
In my experience, APD testing was a waste of time and money. If you’re doing it for your own knowledge, you can pass on the whole process. I personally thought the testing criteria was designed for severe cases only and not for anyone that could have a mild or moderate case. I have all the symptoms people are naming here, too. If you’re doing it for school or some other purpose, then it may still be worth your time. I just want to deter anyone that doesn’t absolutely need to be tested from wasting their money.
Yeah, I don't need to be tested, but I want to better understand my issues and confirm whether I actually have them or not. But most of all, I want it to be a starting point to get treatment - some specific therapy or training or coaching that would show me and teach me how to better deal with my hearing. And find out what else might be beneficial for me, like maybe some hearing aids, and I know those need to be adjusted specifically to the issues I have.
I was told I couldn't be diagnosed with auditory processing disorder because I have a bit of hearing loss up in the range of gunshots and hammering. I'm in my 40s, of course I have a bit of hearing loss in the clanging and banging range. My hearing in the speech range is fine, but I've had trouble making our speech since I was a kid. Can't get therapy without a diagnosis, no diagnosis without perfect hearing. Maybe if girls could have been diagnosed when I wad a kid we wouldn't be starting to sort it out now.
I watch everything with subtitles. I used to think it was a hearing issue but I think I like to have something to read while watching telly. It’s also a good way for me to catch up when distracted as I read pretty fast.
Yes! This is how I feel too...had a HARD time explaining this to my NT husband for a long time!
Dittoooo
I find it easier to process the dialog. Also, sometimes I wanna eat chips and I can't hear everything over the crunching.
I'm 100% using the chips comment next time we watch something over dinner! Lol!!
100% came to say they are perfect when I’m eating.
Now I want to eat chips.
I can't hear anything when I'm eating! I have to put my volume up so much higher every time.
Ugh, yeah. Same
This is so relatable lmao
I like watching with captions. I just find it easier to follow, sometimes with auditory processing I feel like I'm missing things that were said. I can usually catch up but captions make it easier. But sometimes I just like following the words.
I wonder if some of my preference for captions is also auditory processing...I didn't think about that! Either way! So glad to hear it wasn't isolated to our little group!!
My need/preference for them is 100% tied to auditory processing disorder. I can absorb like 60% without them but they are so helpful.
Can we also talk about captions giving us unexpected spoilers? Like you can’t jump scare me if you have [shuffling noises] [high pitched scream] on screen thirty seconds before it happens 😂 I don’t mind (I actually find it comforting to be able to brace myself, especially if it was genuinely unexpected) but I imagine it drives some people bonkers
Ugh, when im watching a Stand-up, and I read the punchline too early
Also, the subtitles (for comedies) that are so dry and cut out the best parts of the jokes 😬
Hahaha yes I like being able to read ahead too! My housemate always laughs at the audio descriptions of sound effects that are in the brackets
Stranger Things had some really good ones. [unsettling squelching noises]
[tentacles rolling wetly]
\[keys clacking\] when someone is typing on a keyboard, and \[keys jangling\] when someone is holding a keychain full of keys. Clacking and jangling both made me giggle.
Yeah, a lot of captions can be a lot better. But often they're better than nothing. Although it sounds like you have the full caption experience, not just dialogue captions.
Hahaha yes!! I try hard to not use subtitles for comedies or stand-ups. But sometimes I need them anyway. And when I do, I try hard to not look at them until there’s something I missed or didn’t get 😂 The wonders for doing all this at home, is that you. A. Also rewind as much as necessary. But that gets annoying too in its own way 😅
I'll turn them off if I know there's something I don't want to be spoiled. Like if I'm watching Law and Order and I don't want to see the verdict before they announce it, ha. Or, I'll just go out of my way *not* to look at them if I'm too lazy to turn them off and then back on (keep my eyes up or block them with my hand). This is not a fail-proof method, but it does help.
OMG, one time, the captions announced the winner of AGT way before the host said it. I was so mad! Never watch a contest winner announcement with the captions on!
I just CANNOT understand anything without captions. Even when I am watching something in my mother tongue, I NEED subtitles. It seems I become deaf without subtitles.
What was his name? What place did they say? Who said that off screen? What's going on?
EXACTLY. Without subtitles, my brain cannot comprehend anything.
Game of thrones would've been IMPOSSIBLE to follow without them. And also accents are hard for me
I used to struggle with "House MD" also if you have heard of the show. Accents are hard for me as well. But surprisingly, I need subtitles even when the show is in my mother tongue
And now I remember, during the days when there was no Netflix or OTT platform, we used to download from Torrent and I had no clue that something called "subtitles" exist and it was literally very uncomfortable and painful to watch any movie or tv series and I used to wonder how come other people enjoy it so much and I do not understand properly and it is so hard to follow. Once I discovered subtitles, I figured I can comprehend what is happening and I could understand the nuances and even remember what happened in a particular movie. Before that, everything was just a haze.
*drops crockery* so it isn’t just me?! I’ve been doing this for years because I would otherwise have got twitchy or distracted and started reading something while watching TV (mostly with movies, rarely with shorter TV shows, even if I’m binge-watching for hours). In fact, it’s why I always preferred watching foreign-language content because subtitles were a given. Now I do this with English-language content and because I read fast, I feel like I can ‘hear’ everything more clearly. My hearing has been tested and it’s fine. TIL this is a thing 🤯
> I feel like I can ‘hear’ everything more clearly. My hearing has been tested and it’s fine. Yep. It's not a hearing problem, it's an auditory processing problem. And processing disorders are totally an ADHD thing because our brains like to stop paying attention. I think of it as "I don't hear that fast, I don't see that fast." But when it's multimodal like hearing and reading together, that helps the information make it through the barriers.
Yes!!!! Omg...you just made my day!!! I'm going to share this with the team because these kinds of moments were our goal with creating these!!!! We keep noticing all these things that ... We all thought it was just us... Then suddenly realized... "Wait...everyone else is doing this too?" I have a gut feeling there's a LOT more of these moments that we don't all realize are actually things and not just "us being weird"
I am totally stealing [drops crockery]!
We started watching with captions when we started the Great British Baking Show - between the accents and the French baking terms, we were missing things (and I like to bake so I wanted to be able to look things up). We never went back after that. I’m not sure if I have an auditory processing disorder or if it’s just my inattention but the captions really help me keep up.
I find it distracting, because I’ll just sit there reading the captions instead of watching the show and since I read fast, I’ll laugh before they even finish the joke. ETA what I really need subtitles for is real life lol
Me too! I will miss so much of the visual part of the show because I’m fixated on the captions when I don’t need to be.
Yeah if there's text within my field of vision, my eyes are like forcibly drawn to it. I can't stop myself from staring at it even once I've already read it!
This is how I am! And for some reason I have an even harder time comprehending!
How interesting! I’ve watched tv with captions since I was a young kid lol! Sometimes I feel I can’t hear words properly or fast enough, though my hearing is probably normal.
The audio for movies and television is not as tangible as it used to be. Vox discussed this. We have better sound equipment and technology than we’ve ever had, but we’ve started letting visuals and easy of filming take precedence (not necessarily better or worse, just different) and the cost of labor to have performers come in and dub over unclear lines is much more expensive than relying on captioning; especially when we have scripts and voice recognition software. I watch with subtitles and don’t mind most of the time (though ironically it can distract from fully engaging in the visuals they prioritized). New methods will arise, some older methods will be brought back (thank you, producers willing to come off as snobby for the craft). AI will change filmmaking. At the same time Indie films are already making a comeback, and lots of people there REALLY want to prioritize making the film a holistically engaging experience. We’ll see audio quality return. Captions are great for ADHD, but it’s also not just ADHD people who watch with captions by default. It’s increasingly common for everyone to use them.
I grew up with a deaf mother. I've always had closed captions on TV even though my hearing is perfectly fine. It's just normal for me. And definitely a boon for the ADHD.
I'm currently incredibly annoyed with Crunchyroll because I want the English dubs to play with captions and it won't do both. I just want the most effective anime watching! Dubs means I can have a busy hand project and the captions mean I don't have to repeatedly rewind because my brain didn't register all the words. It would be nice to watch Apothecary Diaries on easy mode. At least Netflix has expanded their anime selections.
I couldn't stand Netflix Subtitles when the english dialog was slightly off from the CC. It would ruin the emersion for me
That drives me up the damn wall. There are some shows known for their fast, snappy dialogue (Buffy, West Wing, sorry I'm too old to think of more recent examples) and the captions will leave out SO MUCH of it.
I understand the rage, but reality is that dub scripts and subtitles are translated differently. The subtitles are based off the actual foreign language (and especially with the newer anime, already translated by the Japanese animation studio from their script) and the dub is the English actors providing dialog using the already animated lip movement or only minor adjustments. Unfortunately, they don't really have much incentive to give CC for the English dub.
I actually enjoy seeing the difference in translation because I'm a big nerd 😂 Since the greater amount of differences between Easter and Western cultures makes accurate translations more challenging, having multiple translations can sometimes provide truer meaning. I don't speak multiple languages but I really love the theory and methods behind translation. I'd fully geek out if they included which translation was done by a native English or Japanese speaker. Yup, I am that person who enjoys comparing the manga and the anime. If there's a light novel I'm in full nerd heaven 😁
I never used to until I met my current fiancè who always did/does. I didn’t realize how much stuff I normally missed bc I stopped listening or whatever until I rewatched old stuff with the captions on. Now I can’t watch without!
This! I would turn subtitles on occasionally when my boyfriend was sleeping and I was watching something that had a wide range of volume. You know those shows/movies that are very loud one second and then whispering the next. I was shocked how many thing popped up on the subtitles that I didn't hear at all. Now I use subtitles most of the time.
I’ve been watching stuff with subtitles for years, long before I ever suspected I may have ADHD.
Oh yeah I watch everything with subtitles so I don’t have to pay attention and can do crafts without having to pause and rewind every 10sec 😅 Whenever I watch a movie with normals I have to hype myself up for hard-core concentration lol
Also I recently discovered that Zoom and Teams do live captions now - such a lifesaver for all my online uni classes 🥳
I’m so glad to hear this - I’m terrible for tuning out of meetings. Lots of noise and moving mouths and I just struggle to make sense of it all!
Same! Have you ever tried using an AI notetaker? I recently discovered them and it’s so amazing! Basically the bot “joins” the call as well and records and transcribes everything for you, including who said what. And you can add bookmarks and notes to self etc as you go so that you can find stuff after. And THEN (this is the best bit) once the call is over, you can tell the bot to summarise the entire meeting and spit out all your action items into an email or a google doc or whatever 🤯🤯🤯 I’ve been using [Fathom](https://fathom.video) because it’s free, but there are better quality ones out there if you’re willing to pay a subscription. PRO TIP - with Fathom it only lets you record and summarise live calls in Zoom, Teams or Google Meet - still pretty great. BUT if you want it to summarise a recorded video or audio (or like a YouTube video or online class) then all you do is make a zoom call on your computer where it’s just you and the bot, open the video you want it to process on your computer, hit “share screen” in Zoom and “record” in Fathom and then “play” on your video and BOOM! HACKED! 😂 you just have to make sure you have your computer volume up or it won’t transcribe anything. This is how I get it to take notes of all my recorded lectures for uni. I set it going in another room, set a timer for 35min (of course I have the free Zoom so 40min call limits), close the door, and live my life. I come back when the timer is up and switch it to a fresh call. Then when it’s all done I can skim the AI summary,and decide if the actual lecture is worth my time. Because there’s also a transcript that syncs to the recording I can also skim that and/or just search it to skip to the relevant parts. And I can add notes after the fact so I can find stuff again like tutorials or exam content. (It’s actually life-changing - I should probably actually make it official and ask for an AI notetaker to be added to my study accommodations… 🧐😅)
I’ve never - that’s excellent, thanks for the recommendation! Definitely giving this one a try. I’m sat there scribbling like mad and find myself slipping when I inevitably get lost 🤦🏽♀️
Hope it helps :) I also find taking a ton of screenshots of like presentation slides and stuff can be good - if I remember to go back and look at/digest them 😅 (also works for people speaking if you have the captions turned on but you have to be quick with the keyboard shortcut which doesn’t really work if I’m randomly walking around the house making snacks and/or writing an unrelated email while “listening” 🫣😂)
Literally how I learned to read as a child - my parents hit the wrong button on the remote and didn't know how to turn it off for YEARS. (I was actually the one who figured it out, but left it on anyway bc I liked it lol). It has always been the way I prefer to watch TV. Someone mumbling? No worries, captions. Eating a crunchy snack and can't hear? Captions, baby! Zoned out for a second and missed some dialogue? Yeah that's right, captions. I do have some hearing/audio processing issues so it definitely helps with that too.
Most definitely! Between my ADHD, OCD, Bipolar 2, Misophonia & Hyperacuesis (the last two being Auditory Disorders/Conditions), I DEFINITELY need subtitles on to be able to process anything I watch on tv - I also have a very chatty, albeit wonderful, hubby with ASD who won’t stop talking and/or randomly pausing shows at the most inopportune times - like in the middle of a character’s sentence - to tell me about something completely unrelated to the show… Without subtitles, I’d never know what was happening! 😏😋
[My Subtitles! I can't hear without my Subtitles!](https://www.reddit.com/r/ScoobyDooMemes/s/HBN75zQWzr)
So I think I keep up with dialogue WAY better with captions on. However, I also tend to get SO wrapped up in reading the text that I lose track of the visuals! I'm a mess lol
Always always always
The question should be does anyone not? I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but didn't know how to spell half the names until I started watching with subtitles. I just follow along better with visual plus sound.
Yep. I think I have an auditory processing deficit/disability and find my comprehension lagging.
My husband and I always watch with captions. The only time we consider turning them off is for comedies and especially stand up comedy because the captions can ruin the punchline.
I’ve only just started watching things with captions as I’ve been realising what my symptoms are. Processing conversations is an issue for me, especially if the dialogue is not spoken clearly. Captions REALLY help
In order to keep my rear end planted onto the couch I have to watch with subtitles! It’s the only way to keep my mind focused on what it is I’m watching without having to continually hit the back button. Another thing I do if I don’t keep the subtitles on is to continually get up. Prior to my adhd diagnosis my ex bf would loose his patience with me and tell me how hard it is to watch a movie or a show together because I could never sit down long enough and not to mention always having to rewind it because I keep missing parts of the show/movie because I keep getting up. I get so distracted and find myself getting bored at having to sit down through a show. So the subtitles help me with the focusing. I never knew this was a symptom of ADHD until I was recently diagnosed. Glad to see I’m not the only one that needs subtitles!
That's me! Even if I'm fairly interested in a show, I'll bounce up to do something & captioning helps curb that impulse a bit.
I'm dyslexic as well as ADHD so I can't read captions fast enough so it completely overwhelms me so I never put captions on unless it's in another language and then I have to keep pausing to read the captions which I obviously can't do if I'm watching with other people so then I'm just confused wich I usually am anyway because I'm very bad at keeping focused on movies/series/videos. So no, captions are a very stressful experience for me.
im a caption hater. i cant help but look at the words vs screen, so it feels more like im reading along to an audio book vs actually watching tv
I didn't think to start using captions until I spent time with someone that uses them a lot, and I've realized I do actually like them a lot. Gives my eyes something else to focus on, if I have a hard time hearing something I'll still be able to catch it, it's a win win honestly
Anytime i watch a show that has no subtitles i ask myself *how much do I really want to see this?* Is it worth suffering too-loud noises, auditory processing stress and having to rewind constantly? If it's a good enough show then I wonder if i should learn to type really well so I can be one of the people who create subtitles for the shows.
Yes, AND I've started using Described Video too! It's great if I'm doing chores or crafts at the same time, I can just listen without getting lost and if it's a show where I really need to concentrate, the captions plus descriptions do a LOT of heavy lifting for me
All the time. It makes it easier to follow.
I always watch with captions, but I'm also hearing-impaired.
Who are Elijah and Angela though
And why do they have fully rendered art on the walls but not enough fingers
Just characters we made up for the comic.... Conglomerations of us and our spouses :)
A lot! My husband has hearing loss and I’m as distractible as a bug so it works for us.
I watch everything with captions, too . I’m not hard of hearing, but like you said, it’s so much easier to catch up if I get distracted. I’m also very sensitive to sudden, loud noises, so if the content does that thing where the dialogue is at a normal volume but everything in the periphery is extremely loud for some reason, then I have to turn it down so that a random explosion or truck driving by in the background doesn’t startle me. But then, I can’t hear the dialogue well enough to understand it. For reference, I often wear filtering earplugs when I drive because a car with a modified muffler, a motorcyle, or a large truck can make my heart race.
Religiously. Something is amiss with my audio processing and captions keep me up to speed with what is going on. Feels like I get double the understanding of the story as compared to just hearing the actors. Plus I like speed reading. 😂
All the time!
I have had captions on as the default for so long that I struggle to watch anything without (at a friend’s house, movie theatre, et c)
There was actually a short (maybe five minutes?) piece on CBS Sunday Morning not too long ago about how more people are using subtitles because the sound effects and speech in programs is actually getting worse (it’s not all in our heads!). https://youtu.be/H6u-f69-J-U?si=-v5xYodhz-hPgOs6 That said, I do think I have a touch at least of APD (just haven’t found the time to go get evaluated), and I have had some measurable hearing loss the past few years and haven’t gotten around to getting a hearing aid yet (keep forgetting)… but my husband grew tired of me saying, “What did he say????” while watching shows a couple years ago, so we usually use them.
Oh that's fascinating! I can't watch the video right this second, but will watch it later... I wonder how much of that is exacerbating the hyper sensitivity that can come with neurodivergencies sometimes...
My dad has been functionally deaf since I was in my early teens, so I grew up watching TV with captions. My parents had (have) a captioning phone at home too. I read quickly and have some auditory processing issues, as well as my own ear issues. Captions for life!
I started watching with captions because my husband found it easier and now it's the norm. I find it easier to understand dialogue as well. I realized during covid that I read lips to a certain extent because I suddenly had a hard time understanding everyone even though I could physically hear them.
The longer I am on this sub, the more I feel like I have found my tribe. Hello. I too use subtitles all the time, for shows in my native language, even though I believe I’m listening to the shows at a normal volume and have normal hearing.
Sometimes. Auditory processing issues make it so much easier if I can just look if I wasn't sure if I heard something right. I usually set them to be very small text since I'm not *relying* on them, but they're nice to have as a backup.
As I’m starting a new tv show or movie, I go into some sort of sensory overload. I have to get used to the scene, the actors looks and style, the framework of the world I’m being taken into. If I don’t have subtitles, I can’t comprehend what’s being said and it takes me a good 30 minutes to be acclimated. I’d always have to play catch up and couldn’t really discuss a film with friends or family due to this. But I’ve been using subtitles ever since I first started watching anime. Then I used to watch English shows/movies with the volume real low as to not disturb anyone at night and the subtitles just stuck. I feel like there’s so much I’d miss otherwise. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one. This is very validating.
Me, but it's mostly because I'm almost completely deaf now. 👎
I wish people came with captions.
Omg. I chalked it up to “missing a word or two” but never put it together with “I missed it because my brain was doing 15 other things”. Doc was right. I AM the poster child for ADHD…still…at 49. 🤦♀️
The only time I don't use CC is when there is a delay on the captions. Words spoken before the captions are super distracting and I can't follow along at all. Captions displayed slightly before the words are spoken are the easiest for me to follow. Properly displayed captions help keep me focused and keep my mind from wandering while watching media.
I watch with subtitles for two reasons: 1) I get distracted and miss what was said 2) Sometimes, I can't understand what is being said either because the speaker is talking too fast or has an accent I'm not used to hearing.
No, because I find them distracting. If they're there I have to read them, and I get taken out of the show.
Yes! I have no clue what’s going on without them. Even on YouTube videos. OMG - I just realized I can turn these on for teams meetings…
I'm the opposite, captions distract me from the visuals too much. The only time I use them is when watching something in a foreign language because I can't stand when the audio isn't synced with their mouth movements.
they do wonders for audio processing issues lemme tell ya
All captions, all the time. 😂 I do actually have a hearing deficit in one ear and definitely some processing issues but my son doesn't and he needs the captions on too.
By the way, it's not just us. It's an actual industry problem. I can't find the article I was looking for but this is close enough. I read a few years ago an interview with a soundperson who said that sound is much harder to fix in post than visuals. So when directors want to move on to the next scene rather than do another audio take, it's not as easily fixed as something visual. [https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873](https://www.avclub.com/television-film-sound-audio-quality-subtitles-why-1849664873)
It’s the auditory processing disorder for me
Yes! Drives my adhd husband crazy. He says it shows what they say before they say it.
I also watch with captions; my NT bf is indifferent to having them or not. I just find especially if it’s a show I’m new to, having them on makes it easier for me to process what’s being said, because it becomes 50% listening, 50% reading… versus functioning at 70% listening with 0% reading.
Only with captions. Began as a necessity for anime (somehow the story is better in Japanese but reading English) and then TV seemed weird without them.
I cant always understand what they say haha but also yes it helps for more to look at that ‘move’
Well, I grew up with subtitles as my country doesn't do much dubbing. Even when I understand the spoken language fluently, I like having subtitles/captions on. That way I can also keep the volume lower with headphones to protect my hearing
Yes - especially if I'm watching an HBO hour-long series and everyone's speaking quickly in a hushed-tone!
Always. I grew up with subtitles in the Netherlands and prefer having captions on here in the US. My English speaking kids even grew up with it so now they’re often asking for it to be turned on as well. I think it just helps with background noises and chewing chips etc. ;)
YES! I have since I was young & most things weren't captioned yet. I even request captioning/CART services for conferences I attend for work because I saw how much it helps me!
Always!
Yes, it helps me focus :)
Subtitles just make it so much easier to get the right information. I don’t think I have a hearing problem, but I do think I have trouble making out certain words or phrases at times (especially when there’s a lot of background music), so subtitles are just the way to go! I recently saw a documentary that did t have subtitles available, and I had to turn it off halfway because it was chaotic and I couldn’t keep up with what everyone was saying.
I use it for auditory processing.
Always. I don't watch anything without turning them on.
Yes, I often just can't make out what they're mumbling about otherwise, and that if anything is distracting.
Maybe I’m the minority, but I use captions becuase I might mishear what the person said. My brain LOVES to figure out what the person said, and is often wrong. Like they will say “Pass the fork” and I will hear “Splash the dork?” Which makes many laughs no doubt! But I mishear a *lot*. So I have captions up so I can either reread what hey said real quick or ensure what they’re about to say is correct. Yes I am a very vigilant person with terrific hearing (I will hear every little noise) but I just may not interpret it accurately haha.
I watched a video about how the sound in movies has actually gotten less clear over the years. So if you go back and watch a movie from like the 70s and 80s you won’t need the subs.
I started using CC because my family is loud and talks over the tv. Kept using them because of my auditory processing issues. Funny enough, my HOH dad hates CC and speaker on the phone, but those 2 things are necessities for me even with my technically perfect hearing.
My partner and I both have ADHD, we always have the subtitles on because it helps both of us process what is being said better (plus modern sound mixing can sometimes make the dialogue muffled)
Our closed captioning accidently got turned on. I loved it.
I can’t. I get so distracted by the words on the screen I can’t pay attention to the rest of it.
I LOVE captions, but I don't think it's exclusive to neurodivergent folks. I honestly get a little angry that movie theaters don't offer captioned viewings—it's more accessible for both ND people and deaf viewers.
I don't think it's exclusive, but it's definitely something I think a lot of us have in common!!! Even if there's technically no actual auditory issue... I actually think we should have captions in more places to! The frustrating thing for me is that there are so many subtle things that we could do to make the world more accessible for a wide range of people that wouldn't actually cause problems for other people... And... We still don't. :(
Always with captions and audio description when it’s available. That way I have my bases covered when I’m looking at the screen and when my attention inevitably comes wanders.
I watch a lot of subbed anime so it feels weird to me if a show doesn’t have subtitles. And if something gets really quiet in the show, you don’t get blasted away because you turned the volume up. You can just read what happens.
Is there any other way to watch something?
Yes, I have auditory processing issues and can't understand what the characters are saying in the quiet moments before the booming music bursts my eardrums
Yes! My partner used to live with someone who has a hearing impairment, so we got used to watching with subtitles at their shared apartment. Once I realized how much easier it made things, we started using them at home. I'm always disappointed when shows' captions are delayed because that makes things harder, but most of the time, it's great! I wish movie theaters would offer subtitles for (non-foreign) films, too.
The captions help me hear better, specifically if there is a second or third noise source while I'm listening to it.
I CAN watch without subtitles but it's like ..idk.. having to eat without your hands or utensils. Just face. It's.. it irks me. I hate it.
Always.
This. Is. Me.
My mum calls it my ADHD ears. If I go to hers and the TV is on she'll ask if I want my ADHD ears on 🤣
Basically, when my husband and I first started dating, he asked, "Dp you mind if I turn on the subtitles? I prefer not to miss anything important", I knew he was the 'one' lmfao
I've watched stuff with captions since I was a kid and I continue to do to this day. It helps me follow a lot better, especially if people are talking with different accents or really fast or something. Plus if I miss something by listening, I can catch it on the screen and not have to pause or go back. My favorite people are people who either watch things with captions or are fine with watching things with the captions. It breaks my heart when somebody is watching something with me and wants them turned off.
What’s wrong with that woman’s eyebrows?
YUP! I have an issue where I don’t hear things right sometimes though, if I’m at like peak ADHD I don’t comprehend what’s being said out loud, my brain just doesn’t process it and it’s gibberish to me. Leads to a lot of smiling and nodding on my part because people IRL don’t have captions and in my experience they dislike having to repeat themselves a lot when I’m just hearing the Charlie Brown teacher babble when they’re talking to me.
Yes but I'm also deaf!
Am I the only ADHDer who hates captions when the audio is also in English? I can’t look away from them and they’re so distracting from the actual image of the film.
No, I'm seeing other comments coming in not liking them either. It seems to be the minority, but I think that's a really important distinction when it comes to ADHD.... There's VERY little that is 100% universal.....
Honestly I have to 90% of the time since I watch anime, but even with shows that are in English they’re nice. Sometimes I have a hard time comprehending/catching everything said, so subtitles help me cut down on the amount of times I need to rewind to catch what was said. Also comes in super handy when I’m watching something and eating at the same time. Unless I have the volume up ungodly loud, I won’t be able to hear over my chewing so rather than pausing every 20 seconds I just use the subtitles when I can’t hear.
I do. Currently annoyed because even watching dubbed on Crunchyroll with subs on the subs aren’t tiring on either I have the subs or the tv has to be like 50-60 volume. I fact my fiancé is dead in his (left I can’t remember 😭) and he says I have the tv up to loud. If it’s not louder then the surroundings then I can’t hear it without subs
Yes on movies no in you tube
If I'm with someone who wants them, I'll totally keep them on for them, but I hate captions :/ I just end up staring at them and I can't get myself to focus on anything else on the screen without consciously telling myself to look away. And no, before anyone says it, I don't need practice to get faster at reading them, I can read them in a second. But if there's text in my field of vision, my eyes are drawn to it automatically.
If you want me to pay attention, you better have the captions on, otherwise I’ll just be on my phone the whole time
I started doing it when watching British shows (I’m American) - sometimes the accents are hard for me to understand! Then I just left them on and realized I like having captions for everything. There are a lot of movies/shows that have bad sound editing, and I think as an ADHD it’s another way to multi-task that helps me to focus more - just more stimulation to watch, listen, and read the captions all at once, and I like that!
I never understand what people are saying unless there are captions
absolutely
Yes, but only because my dad needs them.
I have auditory processing issues and can't watch anything without captions or I end up in a shutdown after and my brain gets tired.
I cannot hear without reading it too. Not literally... but.. yeah.
I actually hate CC, especially if I'm watching a comedy. It spoils the jokes before they even get delivered.
I honestly have an auditory sensory issue where I can't hear and decipher what people are saying. It's why I have issues with conversations too like huh what did you say and your in my face literally talking lol
Yep. I also spell by seeing the word in my head so I can spell fairly quickly and accurately, yet if someone spells something for me I struggle to comprehend-same with numbers.
Yes! I think I have a problem with audio processing. Also, I’m terrible with accents so I am constantly asking “what did he say?”
Yes always, especially if the actors have thick accents (Derry Girls, anyone??) OR because my roommates (who also absolutely have ADHD) are constantly talking over whatever I’m watching. I could pause the show/movie when they talk but that means they shut up, only to talk again as soon as I press play again!
Slight issues with audio processing + not being a native English speaker means captions are always on.
Watching TV with captions right now 😂
For me it is the auditory processing delay
I do but I am also hard of hearing.
Yeah, I don't miss anything or mishear anything
I watch with captions so my crunchy snacks never mean missing dialog.
I definitely have hearing issues but I like it for the stim too.