Language and Autism
Autistic communication is an important area of research for applied linguistics, and there are many benefits and insights afforded by this approach. In particular, it offers a much-needed corrective to the ‘deficit’ approach taken by previous research.
This is because it highlights the importance of studying communication in its specific context, taking into account who someone is speaking with, where the conversation takes place, and what it is about.
Difference, not deficit
A lot of research has taken a ‘deficit’ approach, which judges autistic communication by neurotypical standards. Any misunderstandings were usually assumed to be the fault of the autistic person for not communicating in the ‘right’ way.
However, communication is about mutual understanding. Neurotypical people are rarely blamed for their failure to empathise with autistic people, or expected to change their natural way of communicating to better suit autistic needs and preferences.
The 'double empathy' problem.
In any conversation two people might have different preferred ways of communicating, or they might want or expect different outcomes. They might struggle to understand or empathise with each other due to their expectations, life experiences, or processing styles.
What is important is that they try to understand each other. If any breakdown in communication occurs, the responsibility falls on both parties. Neurotypical people also need to make an effort to understand and accommodate autistic conversational needs. This is known as the double empathy problem, as described by Damian Milton.
The point is not to compare different communication styles and see which is better. Applied linguists focus on what people actually do in conversation – not what we should be doing. This allows us to highlight areas of strength in autistic communication as well as where more support might be needed.
Looking at the whole picture
Previous research has often focused on conversation in clinical contexts, or focused solely on autistic contributions to conversation, without also considering the responses and contributions of the (neurotypical) participant.
Instead, applied linguistics focuses on real-life examples of language used in everyday settings, such as conversations or social media posts. Researchers look at the full context of interaction and acknowledge that it may involve multiple people and different modes (e.g. intonation or visual cues such as emoji in computer-mediated communication).
For example, echolalia (repetition of sounds or phrases) was traditionally considered to be ‘non-communicative’ – it was not thought to have any value or function. However, applied linguistics has shown it can actually fulfil several important communicative functions, such as ‘trying on’ someone else’s perspective or signalling that one is listening (Maciejewska, 2020; Sterponi and de Kirby, 2016)
Different styles, with different strengths
Applied linguistics can help reveal the preferences and expectations of autistic communication, as well as areas of strength. For example, a preference for a direct, information-based style over indirect communication and ‘small talk.’ Neurotypical people often misinterpret this as ‘blunt’ or ‘rude’ even when that was not the intention.
Research has shown that autistic-to-autistic interactions are based on unique ways of creating shared understanding (Heasman and Gillespie, 2019). Things that might be considered disruptive for neurotypical groups, such as abrupt changes in topic or disconnected turn-taking, are less problematic. Autistic-only groups are better at sharing information and building rapport than those with a mix of autistic and non-autistic participants (Crompton et al., 2020).
The advantages of online interaction
Many autistic people prefer to interact with others on social media, as opposed to face-to-face. Communication is slower-paced, so allows more time to plan and edit messages before sending them, and you can step away from interactions if things feel overwhelming. Written communication removes the need to make eye contact or interpret body language and facial expressions. Pre-packaged interactions, such as ‘liking’ a status update or voting on a poll, are also easy, low-effort ways to engage and connect with others.
Our previous research has shown some of the ways autistic communication differs on social media. For example, a preference for ‘replying’ to social media posts instead of creating new ones, or for using the same sentences across posts. Tweets can be focused on information and include many elaborations. This could relate to autistic strengths relating to information and clarity, a preference for structure and routine, and also showing how autistic social media users change their language to prevent misunderstandings.
