Innocence Lost... in Translation

Aspies (a fun and casual term for those with Asperger's) often find their words and intentions get lost in translation. We're blunt, we're honest, and we don't really pick up on other's intents and meanings, as well, either. But there is a fairly important difference between the misunderstandings of one with Asperger's and those of others who don't...

Imagine someone who is illiterate looking at a page full of words: "What are all these weird squiggly lines?" It wouldn't mean much to them would it. This is what body language, things like vocal intonation, many abstract concepts (like sarcasm), and other social cues are like. We don't pick up on these things as well as others, but we can still learn - we just need time and lots and lots of practice (not to mention a desire to put forth such effort.) So, if you see someone on the autism spectrum not understanding your feelings and intentions, try to consider your body language and vocal intonation, amongst other subtle cues, which come naturally to you, as that text on the page in front of the illiterate. They can't read it, but you can help teach them.

Now, how about the misunderstandings of those without autism? Okay, now imagine someone took an equivalent, or nearly equivalent, alphabet to write in English. A person who isn't familiar with both alphabets could get very confused. Let me give you an example: Кан ю рид дис? If you can't read that, you probably don't know Cyrillic, and unless you speak languages like Russian, Bulgarian, or Mongolian, you probably wouldn't be familiar with it. Trying to read an Aspie is like trying to read the same exact language... in a different, yet more or less equivalent, text. Just like an Aspie being able to learn the body language and social cues of non-Aspies, the inverse can be true, as well - non-Aspies can just as well learn the inner-workings and behaviors of Aspies.

The interesting thing about this is that Aspies are different, and yet very much the same. It's pretty much all a matter of perception - Aspies tend to perceive the world around them a bit, or a lot, differently from most other people, but it's all the same world. People with autism are really just humans like anyone else, with emotions, struggles, aspirations and goals, and who want to be loved and accepted. No matter how much we seem like it sometimes, we're not aliens. When a non-verbal autistic (typically regarded by most as 'retarded' and 'not worth trying to make understand') write, whether on a computer or text-to-voice program, or some other means of giving them a voice, people are realising, "Wow, they're really just like us!" Just because someone has different mannerisms, body language, perceptions, and has difficulty or is unable to speak, it does not mean they're stupid, idiots, retarded, or essentially vegetables of people who are burdens to society (this is truly what many, if not most, people believe, including medical professionals.)

If a foreigner came to your country, and didn't know your language, would you ridicule them and call them stupid for not understanding what you're saying? If you say yes, then you're one of the many ignorant individuals who probably thinks the above misinformation about Auties (like 'Aspies,' but for all autistics) is true.

Now, I'm going to say some generalisations that are true more often than not, but like all generalisations, certainly has its exceptions. People with autism:

• Are usually literal and take things at face value
• Don't like to bother with lying because it's more work than just telling the truth
• Are typically honest to a fault (consider if you really want to know the answer to what you ask!)
• Often just want to be accepted and loved, and will often try to do their best to receive such
• Are loyal to a fault (many with autism get taken advantage of for this)
• Are usually willing to try to learn new things if it's important to them that they do (like social skills)
• Just want others to be patient and understanding
• Usually need some degree of their own space, but can also be very clingy (try to go with the motions, providing them with the space and tranquillity they need, while also being there for them when they need)
• Usually have a thousand times as much going on in their head than they could ever verbalise
• Have co-morbid conditions like hypersensitivities (proneness to sensory overload, sensitivities to all five senses, and prone to hypersensitive immune systems, such as proneness to allergies), mood disorders, anxieties, ADHD, OCD (either tendencies or the full condition), psychotic disorders, neurological disorders, somatic illnesses, genetic conditions -- BUT KEEP IN MIND, THESE THINGS, THEMSELVES, ARE NOT THE AUTISM!
•  So on top of just seeing the world differently, not being able to naturally pick up on social cues (instead having to learn the behaviors intellectually, or utilise mimicking), having difficulty with abstract social constructs like subtext, ulterior motives, spite, and dishonesty, people with autism typically also have to deal with a wide array of psychological and physical ailments that simply coincide with their autism, but which make things all the harder

All of this said, some with autism do use their diagnosis as an excuse to behave badly. This isn't acceptable, and no one should use autism as an excuse to intentionally do wrong. That said, I think most with autism probably stay away from such behavior if they can, and if they do do something wrong or hurtful, it's probably unintentional. Honestly, I believe there is a reason why those with autism relate to animals so well. While we do have the brains of humans, many able to at least write eloquently, to be well educated and very knowledgeable, as well as even very self-aware, I think that, when it comes to social dynamics, we're more akin to animals. Animals don't lie or cheat, they don't plot... Animals take in what they see, they react, and they're deliberate in what they do - they won't deceive you. And animals that are loved can become some of the most loyal companions you will ever meet. They're innocent.