“When you hear a sound, your brain responds.  When the child with autism hears a sound, their brain responds too, but a little bit later.  What we’re seeing is a…split-second delay in recognizing that sound,”  Tim Roberts says.

Ms. Chetry asks, “How does that play out in how children with autism learn and communicate?”

“What happens is that as speech becomes more complicated, we have more and more sounds building up, and these delays cascade on each other leading to a difficulty in perceiving or recognizing the word.”

Can you imagine how long it took me to transcribe the above sentences from the video?  I had to see, hear, understand, translate into a visual of the word in my head, type what I saw, while still hearing more, and more, and more! going in.

I was lost after three to five words each time I tried, so I played the video in a different window so I could just listen and type without seeing the heads moving, but the delay in my mind was just too much, and it all became garbled in my brain.  I didn’t understand the sentence and didn’t “see” the words in my head.  I had no clue what they were saying.  I was so quickly lost.

My typing speed is not the issue.  My preferred form of communication is email, and I write every day, so my typing speed is incredibly fast.  So, I tried another approach based on my experience.

One Source of Input

Only so much input at once, is my rule.  So, say the bare bones of what you have to say, then stop–unless you are communicating with facial expressions, tones of voice, and hand gestures.  Then you will have to state those unvoiced messages because I didn’t receive them.  They are visual distortion of the message.

This is why I tried transcribing without looking at the video to rid myself of the moving heads.  The moving distraction was enough that I lost understanding of the message very quickly.

The Next Try

Playing the video without watching while trying to type didn’t work either.  Without the visual, the delay wasn’t as slow, but I was quickly tripped up and way behind what was hearing.  It all turned into a mess in my head and my agitation increased in a millisecond.  I raced to the mouse to get to the video window so I could click “pause.”  I breathed out.  I had freaked out inside.

But, I have a Great Visual Memory

This time, I watched the video to understand a complete thought and paused the video.  Then I clicked to this window I am typing in and wrote the thought word for word without error.  I waited to let it integrate and to anticipate what they would say next, then I switched back to the video and repeated until the transcription was done.

I “saw” what they were saying.  I literally see the words in my head as they are talking.  The words have time to form into a visual then when I stop the recording, I see the whole sentences.  I worked at my usual fast typing speed because I was literally copying what I saw.

Advice for Teachers, Bosses, Parents, and Spouses

1. Public speakers use dramatic pauses to let a point “settle in.”  All people need pauses, not just the ASD people, so they can catch up with what is being said and integrate what they have heard.  Do the same for your loved one, pupil or employee with Asperger’s or autism.
2. One of my children summed it up best when this child said, “Okay, okay.  I get it, now stop talking.  You don’t have to keep explaining!  Stop talking!”  This child’s frustration level escalated rapidly if I didn’t “talk, stop, talk, stop,” so that day it resulted in a door slamming.  I understand the frustration completely, yet I forgot to start with a short summary then stop completely.
3. If you notice a person on the autism spectrum watching your lips when you are talking, it is a sign that you are talking too quickly and not pausing or not letting any silence hang.  Related article…
4. If you like to make a lot of facial expressions, body and hand movements, to make your point or “drive home” your point or “communicate what you are saying,”  don’t; it will muddle the message.
5. It is the easiest for me to understand speech in the morning, so my meetings and phone calls are generally in the morning.  In an afternoon meeting, I often have to get people to repeat points they are saying.  So, afternoons, I usually focus on a task with little environmental distraction.
6. Teachers, your autistic students may have more trouble writing in the afternoon because they are thinking of “what to say.”  Subjects such as math, graphic design, art, physical education, cooking, reading, or computer programming are relaxing in the afternoon.

Did You Notice how I Wrote This?

Some sentences, which make them more difficult to understand, have thoughts split.  Some sentences run on explaining point after point and linking thoughts thereby diluting the one necessary thought.  Some sentences are concise.  Choose the latter, then stop.  Believe me, it will be much appreciated.

Thinking in Pictures and Making Connections

This is how a little on how my autistic mind thinks…

I just had a talk with my daughter about how she grew up with a parent with Asperger’s Syndrome (on the autism spectrum).  After looking at her like she was an alien (fascinated) and saying, “I don’t get it” and asking pointed questions until she would inevitably say, “Other people just know,” I thought of toddlers.

Toddlers do parallel play.  The play happily beside each other, not solo, and not group play.  I’m like that with John, my partner of many years; we’re never physically far apart, yet our minds will be preoccupied with something that we’re intent on, and he’s not even an Aspie (person with Asperger’s), just the self-assured, focused, independent type.  We even both work from home, but in separate offices.

I looked up “parallel play” while my daughter was downstairs on the computer and I ran across this The New Yorker article, by Tim Page, named, surprise, surprise, “Parallel Play.”  I was slightly miffed, yet not surprised that someone else thought of it first.  That happens a lot.  I suppose an idea is only considered brilliant if you think of it first.  Maybe I’m just slow compared to the people who think of things first?  Maybe every person thinks of things that have already been thought of?  Is this a generational thing where future generations are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

I went on in this line of thought for a while then started reading the article.  Yes, an article about the author’s Asperger’s Syndrome.  I decided that it would spur a great deal of blog posts based on the clarity of the article.  I could personalize his personalizations of Asperger’s.  I suppose that is hardly a unique idea either.

As I went on this tangent, I forgot to tell my daughter about parallel play.  When she was ready to leave, she said, “You should come to the door and say goodbye, Mummy.”  I did.  I hugged her and kissed her because she is my amazing, darling daughter, and I wanted to.  She said, “Yes, that is what you’re supposed to do.”  She was smiling.

So, here I sit confused.  In some year past, she (my neurotypical kid) had told me that I should see people to the door and say goodbye, and I should show emotion.  I did, and from what I could tell, people liked it.

Now, she tells me that I should actually come to the door, not stand at the top of the stairs making repetitive hand movements.  This makes no sense to me so I ask, “Why?”  She says, “I don’t know why; it’s just what people do.”  To me, that wasn’t an answer.

I often come up with ideas because I ask, “Why?”  I veer from “what is normal” in a very linear way, yet they all come together to form connections.  Like in the writer of the New Yorker article, I’ve been dubbed “brilliant” and “creative” time and again, yet I don’t feel brilliant.  I feel like I ask dumb questions, but as the saying goes, “There is no such thing as a dumb question.”

I hadn’t finished reading the article, and I have so many more questions to ask my daughter about how she thinks.  I also haven’t written a blog post yet based on the New Yorker article, but that will come along with a flurry of new connections.

Back to how my mind works:  It’s much like following links on the internet (a linear activity) and finding the new that connects back to previous ideas on pages.  Perhaps that is why we hit the “back” button on the browser to check back to earlier connections.

The connections always lead back to self-knowledge, which for anyone, Aspie or not, are the most difficult.  That is why it is so easy to give advice to others, but occasionally feel lost ourselves, but that is for another blog post.

If you are not on the autism spectrum maybe I can help you understand your loved one’s visual detail that brings such delight, but others may not understand. It’s this detail that can bring a difficulty with understanding context, like in social situations.

I have a fascination with twinkling light that draws me and pulls me into my mind so I notice little else.  I walk to them when I see them, I stare, and I watch over and over.

Try this exercise:

With the speakers off, play the above commercial, while focusing really hard on each twinkling light.  Focus only on every detail of each light, so the objects and the background disappear.  Notice as many lights as you can.  Then play it over and over focusing ever more on each light as it unfolds.  Observe the light growing and disappearing.  As each light moves, notice the trail of light it leaves behind.

With each playing of the commercial, you will notice that you start to have less recall of the shapes and the background but your mind will fill up the lines of light as the twinkling unfolds.  It may be difficult at first, since neurotypical people think in context.  Your mind may at first jump to the objects and the entire picture.  Try your hardest to focus on the lights so you can understand your loved one’s mind a little better.

My visual thinking enables me to see every detail of light automatically.  If you are not on the spectrum, you may have to work at it over a longer period of time to learn how to achieve it.  Or, you could train your brain to learn certain techniques, but without ever learning to do it automatically or properly.

Such Detail in Social Situations

Now, when I try to behave like a neurotypical person in social situations, I have to really work at it.  Over the years, I have learned one social rule at a time.  I rarely learn by “figuring it out” because that would require that my mind can understand social situations in context, much like seeing the bird, flower, tree, and background in the twinkling bird commercial before noticing every little light.

The concept of “making a first impression” mystifies me.  When I meet someone, I know nothing about them so if 30 seconds later, someone asks me what I think of the person, I would have to say, “I don’t know.”  I would also not understand the purpose of asking what I think of the person.

Evidently, neurotypical people get an “impression” of a person in the first 30 seconds.  They have summed up the person into a whole impression that they can talk about.  They have also made decisions about their continued interaction with this person.  They have decided if this person is safe or not.  I don’t know what this person is “like,” whatever that means.

Me?  I usually don’t remember faces and haven’t picked up on the non-verbal facial cues.  I’ll notice and remember details of jewelry (especially if they are twinkly!), clothing, physical size, etc.  Based on these details, I don’t know how I’m supposed to interact with this person.  I don’t know what to say or not to say.  I don’t know if I should walk away or continue to talk.  Also, in how many seconds or minutes am I supposed to walk away?  How long am I supposed to interact?

My brain is running through every social rule I know trying to figure out what to do.  If I don’t know what to do, I talk incessantly or say nothing and walk away.

I am still going through what I call “Social Training University” and learning the rules that create social interactions.  I’ve learned so many I can apply almost consistently.  Hey, I’m not necessarily using the rule in the right situation with the right people, but at least I have learned the rule.

The Science Behind It

This blog was sparked by the paragraphs below from this article in Science Daily.

“Autistic people usually can’t grasp the full meaning, or context, of a situation,” she said. “This often leads to difficulties in social settings, as making inferences from what someone else says or thinks is extremely difficult for an autistic person.”

“Our studies strongly suggest that autistic people need more emphasis on and explanation about the context of different situations,” said Hillier, who leads a social skills support group for people with milder forms of autism. “We can teach them how to interpret different situations.”

See what I'm saying?

A Yale study is about me too! Especially when I’m in social situations or I’m trying to figure out what is going on in a conversation, I’ll “read lips” instead of looking people in the eye. That doesn’t mean I’m not listening; it means I’m trying really really hard to listen and understand. I tend to hear what people say literally instead of what body language, facial expressions, and figures of speech say.

From an article quoted on the Autism section of about.com that quotes a Yale Study:

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to stare at people’s mouths rather than their eyes. Now, an NIH-funded study in 2-year-olds with the social deficit disorder suggests why they might find mouths so attractive: lip-sync—the exact match of lip motion and speech sound.

Read my lips.  I say read the full article…

Why is “read my lips” usually used as an insult?  I assume it means, “You are stupid because you are not understanding what I am saying or you are not doing what I want.”

Also, as I understand it, “Not look me in the eye.” means dishonest, hiding something, ignoring me, or don’t like you.  If that’s the case, I can understand why people would be edgy around me.  Yet, when I don’t look it’s because I am actively listening.

Know that I care to hear what you say.

By Dr. Paul Drew, author of Red Carpet Posture

Where posture could make a difference with SPD is that it’s one less overload of stimuli going to the central nervous system and the brain. If a person is standing, moving, or sitting with incorrect posture and not in the correct alignment, he or she may experience an overload of stimuli.

People without SPD get used to being in an incorrect alignment or posture, and can filter out those signals of overstretching and tightness. Even though there are muscles that are adaptively tighter, normally that signal of tightness is ignored by the brain. With SPD, the signal won’t get processed out, and could be interpreted as pain.

Let’s take an example of someone who is standing with the shoulders forward. What will happen is that the muscles between the shoulder blades become overstretched and those in front of the shoulder become tighter. The muscles that are in between the shoulders activate stretch receptors that send stimuli to the brain that these muscles are being overstretched. Now, there will be more stimuli along with other stimuli coming into the brain leading to an overload.

Golgi Tendon Organs
There are also Golgi tendon organs which are inside the tendons of muscles, and help to prevent a muscle from over exertion such as a person who is lifting a lot of weight. When the tendon gets too much pressure, the Golgi tendon organ sends a message to brain to stop the contraction.

Often this signal will be filtered out when the muscle contraction is not that intense, but the problem with people who have SPD is that this signal may not be getting filtered out of the brain.

When someone is in an incorrect posture such as a slouch position, then muscle tightening in the front of the shoulders is activating the Golgi receptors which are sending signals to the brain to stop this contraction which is usually filtered out in the normal brain, but not one with SPD. This is a reason for having good posture, and trying deep tissue treatment or massage. These will help to deactivate the Golgi receptors to decrease the overload of signals to the brain.

Nerves in Sensory Function

One has to know that the same nerves that control muscle contraction are also involved in sensory function and nerves can also be calmed with deep pressure massage and proper posture. Nerves themselves can also be tight or won’t glide as well in the body. For example, we have major nerves that start from the spine in the neck, and go deep in the shoulder area, and down into the arm. These are referred to as brachial nerves.

If someone has bad posture such as one whose shoulders are rounding forward, the brachial nerves that travel down the arm into the hand will be affected. There may be a tendency for these nerves to be tight or shortened and not glide very well in the body.

Brachial Nerves
Nerves are like muscles in the fact that they need to be stretched as well. One of the most common brachial nerves to have problems is the median nerve, which can be felt as tenderness and pain in the hand between the thumb and index finger where one of the endings of the nerve exists. This is the same symptom that occurs with individuals who have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.  In a person who has SPD, this nerve may be sending signals to the brain of pain that is not being filtered.

A physical therapist can show how to stretch tight neural pathways. For example, the median nerve can be stretched by putting your arm out to the side, keeping it straight at the elbow and the whole arm is parallel to the ground. The palm of the hand is against a wall, with the fingers pointing backwards and touching the wall. Now turn the body the opposite way, while keeping your palm against the wall and the arm straight. You will start to feel numbness in your hand. This is a sign that the median nerve is being stretched. This may be a complicated example to give, but it is something that a therapist can show you.

Massage at Home, not a Spa
I do recommend those with SPD who seek massage or deep tissue treatment to have someone come to the home, instead of going to a spa, because in your home, you are more familiar with your surroundings. At home, you know the stimuli that are going on around you, the normal sounds and lighting that are familiar to you. When one with SPD goes to a spa, there are stimuli that are not familiar, such as music or different sounds from the spa facility that will raise the amount of stimuli that could overwhelm the brain.

I am the author of “Red Carpet Posture” which is a book that gives advice and exercises to improve posture. When I designed the book, I tried to make the exercises simple enough as to not be overwhelming, and not require an overabundance of stimuli. Even if you don’t do a single exercise pictured in the book, the advice will be an exercise in itself. “Red Carpet Posture” can be found at www.RedCarpetPosture.com

Dr. Paul Drew has a Doctor of Physical Therapy from the University of Southern California. He is the author of Red Carpet Posture, which features advice and exercises to help improve posture.  Learn more at www.redcarpetposture.com.