It is often not easy to communicate with another person and share their ideas. This is much more difficult for people with autism.
According to experts, it is possible for us to facilitate the interaction of autistic people with the outside world.
Writer and journalist Michael Rosen spoke with British author and entrepreneur Alis Rowe, who is living with Asperger’s Syndrome, who also has similar characteristics. According to Rowe, making sense of the other person’s facial expressions and separating voices from speaking voices are some of the main challenges faced by people with autism.
Here are 10 things people with autism want us to be aware of when talking to them:
1. Every person with autism is different but has some common problems
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that one out of every 160 children in the world has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is stated that there are more than 550 thousand children with autism in Turkey.
As a result of developmental differences, the person communicates with the world in a different way, which affects the senses of seeing, hearing and feeling.
They have difficulties in communicating with others in social life, and they often experience anxiety. Many autistic people have trouble distinguishing several different background sounds.
On the other hand, autism manifests itself differently in everyone. Some are much more affected by the symptoms, some much less.
Like everyone else, there are shy and introverts, and active and extroverts.
An important part of them communicates only with gestures, facial expressions and symbols, since they can’t talk to others at all.
2. They may not be able to separate one’s speech from other sounds
The autistic person, unlike others, has difficulty focusing on the conversation of the other person during a conversation. This is because the brain cannot automatically filter out other sounds.
Background noises, such as traffic, music or other people’s conversation, get in the way, and listening to the person speaking is an effort in itself. So they may often ask that person to repeat their words.
3. They miss hints, markings, and fine details
It is also very difficult for them to make sense of elements such as tone of voice and facial expressions that can completely change what the person is saying.
For this reason, they often miss the sarcastic words, similes and styles.
However, one should not always assume that a person with autism cannot understand different narrative styles, because some can learn this over time after a difficult process.
4. It is beneficial to put the conversation in context.
It is difficult for people with autism to make sense of other people’s words. So putting expressions and conversations in context makes their job easier.
For example, in a place far from the sea, you saw a seagull. “Oh, look, seagull!” Instead of saying, “How interesting to see seagulls in the middle of the city” you can say.
So you tell them what it means or why it’s important, and you make them easier to perceive.
5. They may not know when to speak up
Autistic people who have trouble reading the behavior and body language of others may not know when they can start and end the conversation, and when it is the right moment to join someone else’s conversation.
The right approach is to include them in your group chat and ask them questions directly.
6. Their speech may sound different to us
For the person with autism, talking means trying to think very, very carefully.
Therefore, they may speak in a more monotonous voice, slowly, emphasizing unusual parts of the sentence.
Sometimes they go into too much detail.
It’s really important to give people with autism the space and space they need to talk, while also listening to them carefully.
Because everyone experiences their world in a different way.
7. Socializing is more difficult
People with high-functioning autism can be very good at imitating social skills.
They may seem very happy when socializing, but they are actually making a great effort.
Pouring thoughts and words into phone messages or emails can also reduce the stress of face-to-face conversation for them.
8. They reflect emotions in unexpected ways
Autistic people show their emotions in different ways, and they may react differently to different situations than usual. This is because they are grappling with several things at once.
Because they experience some emotions more strongly than others, they have a hard time putting them into words.
In such cases, you can facilitate communication by using photographs or asking clear and precise questions.
9. They can repeat their words
Repeating a word or phrase is a common behavior among people with autism. There are many reasons for this.
When they try to show that they have recorded what the other person has said, they want to gain time to think and therefore repeat what the other person has said.
At such moments, they become anxious and need reassurance from the other person.
Or they think that they can’t get enough of the answer to the question they ask, and they repeat their questions.
10. Written language facilitates communication with people with autism
A person with autism has less difficulty and stress when communicating via e-mail or phone message.
It gains time to digest the message, and can prepare its answer without feeling the pressure to respond immediately.
The anxiety created by the social signs they have trouble deciphering also disappears.
On the other hand, talking on the phone is also very difficult for some people with autism because, just like face-to-face communication, they have anxiety about responding immediately and background noises distract them.