Q) Why do many autistic people take things literally?
A)
I will give you an example.
Suppose a clerk asked you if you wanted your milk in a bag. “Not-autistic You”, knowing it’s contained perfectly well in a bottle, and he means to put the BOTTLE in the bag, take the extra step of accepting the bag as easier to carry.
But if it were a large melon, you might leave it out of the bag.
An autistic child (and perhaps some adults) might assume it is the content he is being asked about;. ”Do you want your milk left in the bottle, or poured into the bag?”
In my old age, I have long since left the child’s naive understanding behind, and joke about it. “Nah, leave it in the bottle; the bag leaks.”
Teachers probably learn VERY quickly not to ask an autistic student to “Hop over here.”
A)
I will give you an example.
Suppose a clerk asked you if you wanted your milk in a bag. “Not-autistic You”, knowing it’s contained perfectly well in a bottle, and he means to put the BOTTLE in the bag, take
But if it were a large melon, you might leave it out of the bag.
An autistic child (and perhaps some adults) might assume it is the content he is being asked about;. ”Do you want your milk left in the bottle, or poured into the bag?”
In my old age, I have long since left the child’s naive understanding behind, and joke about it. “Nah, leave it in the bottle; the bag leaks.”
Teachers probably learn VERY quickly not to ask an autistic student to “Hop over here.”
