'Read my lips, not my body': a thematic analysis of autistic people’s social communication preferences

Added on 23/09/2024

Type de contenu

Journal article of the type Testimony ( ; english)

Holly Sutherland * , Catherine Crompton , Joseph Long , Sue Fletcher-Watson
'Read my lips, not my body': a thematic analysis of autistic people’s social communication preferences published in the journal "OSF Preprints" Preprint, 33 pages , doi: 10.31219/osf.io/kn2wr

*One co-author has publicly identified as autistic. [Learn more about this mention]

=> Unrestricted access and free

Summary/Presentation

 Differences in socialising and communicating between autistic and non-autistic people are well documented, but primarily from the perspective of non-autistic researchers assuming an autistic social communicative deficit. However, recent challenges suggest it may be more accurate to talk about an autistic social communication ‘style’. This qualitative study attempts to better characterise this style, and to understand how differences between it and a non-autistic communicative style might produce communicative misunderstanding. Eight autistic adults (7 women, 1 nonbinary) took part in an online asynchronous focus group over two weeks. They were asked about their social values, their experiences talking to non-autistic people, positive social interactions, and encouraged to comment and feedback on the contributions of others in the group. Thematic analysis produced five themes: 1) truth and honesty, 2) invisible demands and their impacts, 3) empathy and double empathy, 3) autistic strengths and autistic positives, and 5) the role of autistic community. These findings highlight the ways in which autistic people’s different experiences of (and expectations for) social communication can clash with non-autistic people’s, producing disjunctions in understanding, and emphasise the nuance and complexity of participants’ conceptualisations of autism as difference versus deficit versus strength.

For your information:

(1) References in blue are resources listed on our site.

(2) Authors listed in this bibliography whose names are in color have published other resources referenced on the site. Clicking on the name allows you to see the list of resources they have published and shared on the site.

(3) Authors whose names are followed by an asterisk have publicly disclosed being autistic.

  • S. Boldsen (2022). "Autism and the Sensory Disruption of Social Experience." Frontiers in Psychology, 13. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.874268

  • D. Bolis, J. M. Lahnakoski, D. Seidel, J. Tamm, L. Schilbach (2020). "Interpersonal similarity of autistic traits predicts friendship quality." Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 16(February). doi:10.1093/scan/nsaa147

  • V. Braun, V. Clarke (2012). "Thematic Analysis." In H. Cooper, P. M. Camic, D. L. Long, A. T. Panter, D. Rindskopf, K. J. Sher (Eds.), APA Handbook of Research Methods in Psychology, Vol. 2: Research Designs: Quantitative, qualitative, neuropsychological, and biological, American Psychological Association.

  • V. Braun, V. Clarke (2021). "One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in (reflexive) thematic analysis?" Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. doi:10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238

  • E. Cage, Z. Troxell-Whitman (2019). "Understanding the Reasons, Contexts and Costs of Camouflaging for Autistic Adults." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(5). doi:10.1007/s10803-018-03878-x

  • L. Calder, V. Hill, E. Pellicano (2013). "‘Sometimes i want to play by myself’: Understanding what friendship means to children with autism in mainstream primary schools." Autism, 17(3). doi:10.1177/1362361312467866

  • D. Caldwell (2014). "Sneople." (Source)

  • L. Casartelli, A. Federici, L. Fumagalli, A. Cesareo, M. Nicoli, L. Ronconi, A. Vitale, M. Molteni, G. Rizzolatti, C. Sinigaglia (2020). "Neurotypical individuals fail to understand action vitality form in children with autism spectrum disorder." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 117(44). doi:10.1073/pnas.2011311117

  • Y.-L. Chen, L. L. Senande, M. Thorsen, K. Patten (2021). "Peer preferences and characteristics of same-group and cross-group social interactions among autistic and non-autistic adolescents." Autism, 25(7). doi:10.1177/13623613211005918

  • C. Chevallier, G. Kohls, V. Troiani, E. S. Brodkin, R. T. Schultz (2012). "The social motivation theory of autism." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(4). doi:10.1016/j.tics.2012.02.007

  • C. C. Clements, A. R. Zoltowski, L. D. Yankowitz, B. E. Yerys, R. T. Schultz, J. D. Herrington (2018). "Evaluation of the Social Motivation Hypothesis of Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." JAMA Psychiatry, 75(8). doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1100

  • R. Davis, C. J. Crompton (2021). "What Do New Findings About Social Interaction in Autistic Adults Mean for Neurodevelopmental Research?" Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2012. doi:10.1177/1745691620958010

  • C. L. Dickter, J. A. Burk, J. L. Zeman, S. C. Taylor (2020). "Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Autistic Adults." Autism in Adulthood, 2(2). doi:10.1089/aut.2019.0023

  • A. J. Fletcher (2017). "Applying critical realism in qualitative research: Methodology meets method." International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2). doi:10.1080/13645579.2016.1144401

  • A. Ghaziani, G. A. Fine (2008). "Infighting and Ideology: How Conflict Informs the Local Culture of the Chicago Dyke March." International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society, 20(1). doi:10.1007/s10767-008-9032-x

  • A. Ghaziani, K. Kretschmer (2018). "Infighting and Insurrection." In The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Social Movements, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. doi:10.1002/9781119168577.ch12

  • A. Haydock, L. Harrison, K. Baldwin, K. Leadbitter (2024). "Embracing gestalt language development as a fundamental neurodiversity-affirmative practice." Autism, 28(5). doi:10.1177/13623613241234598

  • B. Heasman, A. Gillespie (2018). "Perspective-taking is two-sided: Misunderstandings between people with Asperger’s syndrome and their family members." Autism, 22(6). doi:10.1177/1362361317708287

  • B. Heasman, A. Gillespie (2019a). "Neurodivergent intersubjectivity: Distinctive features of how autistic people create shared understanding." Autism, 23(4). doi:10.1177/1362361318785172

  • B. Heasman, A. Gillespie (2019b). "Participants Over-Estimate How Helpful They Are in a Two-Player Game Scenario Toward an Artificial Confederate That Discloses a Diagnosis of Autism." Frontiers in Psychology, 10. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01349

  • S. Heraty, A. Lautarescu, D. Belton, A. Boyle, P. Cirrincione, M. Doherty*, S. Douglas, J. R. D. Plas, K. Van Den Bosch, P. Violland, J. Tercon, A. Ruigrok, D. G. M. Murphy, T. Bourgeron, C. Chatham, E. Loth, B. Oakley, G. M. McAlonan, T. Charman, … E. J. H. Jones (2023). "Bridge-building between communities: Imagining the future of biomedical autism research." Cell, 186(18). doi:10.1016/j.cell.2023.08.004

  • A. R. Hodgson, M. H. Freeston, E. Honey, J. Rodgers (2017). "Facing the Unknown: Intolerance of Uncertainty in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 30(2). doi:10.1111/jar.12245

  • L. Iandoli, S. Primario, G. Zollo (2021). "The impact of group polarization on the quality of online debate in social media: A systematic literature review." Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170. doi:10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120924

  • V. K. Jaswal, N. Akhtar (2019). "Being versus appearing socially uninterested: Challenging assumptions about social motivation in autism." Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 42. doi:10.1017/s0140525x18001826

  • R. P. John, F. J. Knott, K. N. Harvey (2018). "Myths about autism: An exploratory study using focus groups." Autism, 22(7). doi:10.1177/1362361317714990

  • N. Kleinhans, N. A. Akshoomoff, D. C. Delis (2005). "Executive Functions in Autism and Asperger’s Disorder: Flexibility, Fluency, and Inhibition." Developmental Neuropsychology, 5641(February). doi:10.1207/s15326942dn2703_5

  • R. C. Leung, V. M. Vogan, T. L. Powell, E. Anagnostou, M. J. Taylor (2016). "The role of executive functions in social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder." Child Neuropsychology, 22(3). doi:10.1080/09297049.2015.1005066

  • L. Macmullen, F. Jill, L. Erin, R. Fuller, D. Mandell, J. Locke (2017). "Brief Report: Examining Executive and Social Functioning in Elementary-Aged Children with Autism." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3079-3

  • M. L. McNair, E. G. Keenan, A. P. Houck, M. D. Lerner (2023). "Seeking contexts that promote neurodiverse social success: Patterns of behavior during minimally-structured interaction settings in autistic and non-autistic youth." Development and Psychopathology. doi:10.1017/s0954579423000950

  • M. A. L. Mostert-Kerckhoffs, W. G. Staal, R. H. Houben, M. V. de Jonge (2015). "Stop and Change: Inhibition and Flexibility Skills Are Related to Repetitive Behavior in Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45(10). doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2473-y

  • T. Muskett, M. Perkins, J. Clegg, R. Body (2010). "Inflexibility as an interactional phenomenon: Using conversation analysis to re-examine a symptom of autism." Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 24(1). doi:10.3109/02699200903281739

  • L. S. Nowell, J. M. Norris, D. E. White, N. J. Moules (2017). "Thematic Analysis: Striving to Meet the Trustworthiness Criteria." International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 16(1). doi:10.1177/1609406917733847

  • B. C. O’Brien, I. B. Harris, T. J. Beckman, D. A. Reed, D. A. Cook (2014). "Standards for reporting qualitative research: A synthesis of recommendations." Academic Medicine: Journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges, 89(9). doi:10.1097/acm.0000000000000388

  • K. O’Reilly (2011). Ethnographic Methods (2nd ed.), Routledge.

  • S. Ryan, U. Räisänen (2008). "‘It’s like you are just a spectator in this thing’: Experiencing social life the ‘aspie’ way." Emotion, Space and Society, 1(2). doi:10.1016/j.emospa.2009.02.001

  • N. E. Scheerer, K. Curcin, B. Stojanoski, E. Anagnostou, R. Nicolson, E. Kelley, S. Georgiades, X. Liu, R. A. Stevenson (2021). "Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder." Molecular Autism, 12(1). doi:10.1186/s13229-021-00471-5

  • P. Shah, L. A. Livingston, M. J. Callan, L. Player (2019). "Trait Autism is a Better Predictor of Empathy than Alexithymia." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(10). doi:10.1007/s10803-019-04080-3

  • E. Sheppard, D. Pillai, G. T.-L. Wong, D. Ropar, P. Mitchell (2016). "How Easy Is It to Read the Minds of People with Autism Spectrum Disorder." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 46(4). doi:10.1007/s10803-015-2662-8

  • A. Smith (2009). "The Empathy Imbalance Hypothesis of Autism: A Theoretical Approach to Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Autistic Development." The Psychological Record, 59(3). doi:10.1007/bf03395675

  • N. Walker* (2021). Neuroqueer Heresies: Notes on the Neurodiversity Paradigm, Autistic Empowerment, and Postnormal Possibilities, Autonomous Press.

  • R. West (2022). "The Profession That Eats Itself: Addressing Teacher Infighting." In K. Heggart, S. Kolber (Eds.), Empowering Teachers and Democratising Schooling: Perspectives from Australia, Springer Nature. doi:10.1007/978-981-19-4464-2_3

  • G. L. Williams*, T. Wharton, C. Jagoe (2021). "Mutual (Mis)understanding: Reframing Autistic Pragmatic ‘Impairments’ Using Relevance Theory." Frontiers in Psychology, 12(April). doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.616664


 
Summarize/Comment on/Translate this reference?