Asperger’s During A Conversation. People on the Autism Spectrum experience the world differently than those of us who are neurotypical. Because they have problems with the meaning and rhythm of words and sentences they are often times misunderstood. They have trouble with back-and-forth communication when conversating creating a lot of anxiety for them.
Asperger’s During A Conversation
Asperger’s during a conversation could include:
- Not knowing what are the appropriate physical gestures?
- Struggling to concentrate on multiple conversations going on at once
- Feeling awkward and uncomfortable when others look at them
- Feeling socially exhausted and overwhelmed
- Looking bored or not interested
- Unintentionally getting into other people’s personal space
- Copying the other person’s replies
- Masking the other person’s facial expressions
- Concentrating on making eye contact
- Sensory issues such as noise, smell, bright lights creating discomfort
- Anxiety about when to speak and when not to speak
- Giving out too much information
- Infodumping about a special interest – lack of awareness about going on and on about a subject
- Lack of awareness of social cues
- Suppressing their stims
- Stimming
- Being self-conscious
Having to make conversation creates a lot of anxiety for people on the Spectrum because they notice everything around them and find it hard to concentrate on the person they are talking to. These individuals tend to like to be alone and become involved in their special interests. Being alone means not having to concentrate on anyone but themselves and is a means to recharging.
As human beings we tend to judge and criticize things we know little about. Rather than mock at something that is foreign, learn more about why it could be making you feel uncomfortable. People with Asperger’s don’t realize they are behaving in ways that make the general population uneasy. If you think you feel anxiety around a person with Asperger’s they feel the same way interacting with neurotypicals. Learning how to talk to someone on the Autism Spectrum will give you the capacity for compassion and showing empathy. We all want to fit into the world and be seen and heard.
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