Social Communication and Autism
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Some autistic people can struggle with social communication. This article explains what social communication is and shares some supportive strategies.
What is Social Communication?
Social communication is how we use language and gestures (including body language) to share meaning with others. It involves not just the words we say, but also how we say them and how we interpret what others say to us.
Autistic people can have a literal communication style. This can lead to “mismatches” when communicating with non-autistic people who rely more on hints or subtext.
Autistic people might:
Take things literally and find it hard to identify sarcasm, idioms, or metaphors.
Struggle to interpret body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
Prefer to be direct and honest, which others may sometimes mistake for being blunt or rude.
Need extra time to “translate” spoken words into meaning before being able to respond.
Find it hard to monitor verbal volume or to know which tone of voice matches the situation.
Prefer to talk in-depth about a specific interest (“info dump”) rather than engaging in back-and-forth chat.
Strategies to Help
Everyone is different, but here are some strategies that might help an autistic person:
Ask for clarity: If someone says something vague, like “I’ll be there in a bit”, it is okay to ask for a specific time. You could say, “Does ‘a bit’ mean ten minutes or an hour?”
Request written follow-ups: If you find it hard to process verbal instructions, ask for them to be sent in an email or a text. This gives you a permanent record to refer back to.
The five-second rule: Give yourself permission to pause for five seconds before responding to a question. This allows your brain the time it needs to process the information without feeling rushed.
Use your preferred medium: If phone calls are stressful, let people know that you communicate best via text or email. You don't have to use the communication method that makes you uncomfortable.
