How To Conduct A Conversation With An Individual On The Autism Spectrum

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an individual’s normal functioning in forming relationships and communication. Both and especially communication skills are vital for day-to-day life experience. It is through them that people express themselves, learn new things, and communicate important information. People living on the autism spectrum (AS) often find themselves in challenging situations that demand their communication skills. People who are not on the AS may help ensure smooth communication by being patient and avoiding negative talks when conversing with someone in AS.

1. Be Patient

1. Stay Positive
   1. It is important to avoid negative talks when conversing with an autistic person. A study has found that positive conversations promote better behavior for people living on the ASD, such as reduced irritability (Smith et al., 2014). According to Preece & Howley (2018), positive interpersonal relationships with people living with ASD foster their skills to negotiate and make explanations.
   1. Staying positive also entails ignoring the flaws of the person living on the AS. It is important to note that people with ASD do not enjoy some aspects of life. As such, it recognizes such flaws may increase irritability. It also acts as a reinforcement for positive behavior (Schuetze et al., 2017). Besides, ignoring such flaws maintains their focus during a conversation. This enables the individual to leverage the rewards in the conversation cues, which improves communication skills.

To sum up, conducting a conversation with an individual on AS require patient and maintain positive discussions. One may have to slow down there talking, allow the autistic person to express themselves, and give them toom to participate. Also, avoiding negative talks fosters behavioral improvements and fosters a focus on the conversation. Both patience and positive talk improve an autistic person’s social skills and allow them to participate in daily activities.

Images

Figure 1 https://florencehazrat.com/blog/tag/conversation/

This image is a chart that shows when to take a turn in a conversation. Turn-taking is critical in controlling the speed f a conversation so that no one speaker dominates the conversation to intimidate the other. I will use this image to explain how turn-taking may help engage an autistic person in a typical conversation.

Figure 2

 In this image, two people are actively talking while the other one is not involved. I will use this image to first portly a more often situation, where people lingering on the AS are not fully included in conversations. I will insist on the impacts of discriminating against them in conversations and contend that love and interest may foster the inclusion of autistic people in social skills.

Figure 3 https://www.thepathway2success.com/positiveselftalk/

I will use this image to explain how to talk to a person living in AS slowly and precisely.

I will use this image to begin the conversation on the importance of positive talk.

Figure 4 https://www.showme.com/sh/?h=0KnhjP6

I will use this image as an example of a conversation with an autistic person.

References

O’Nions, E., Happé, F., Evers, K., Boonen, H., & Noens, I. (2017). How do Parents Manage Irritability, Challenging Behaviour, Non-Compliance and Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders? A Meta-Synthesis. Journal Of Autism And Developmental Disorders, 48(4), 1272-1286. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3361-4

Preece, D., & Howley, M. (2018). An approach to supporting young people with autism spectrum disorder and high anxiety to re-engage with formal education – the impact on young people and their families. International Journal Of Adolescence And Youth, 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2018.1433695

Schuetze, M., Rohr, C., Dewey, D., McCrimmon, A., & Bray, S. (2017). Reinforcement Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers In Psychology, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02035

Smith, L., Greenberg, J., & Mailick, M. (2014). The Family Context of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Child And Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics Of North America, 23(1), 143-155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2013.08.006