One obvious component of autism is difficulties in communication skills. Many people with autism struggle with speaking to other people and appropriately responding to what says to them. Up to about 40% of people with ASD cannot speak at all while others experience speech delays. Those who don't speak often use communication devices that allow them to have a voice and interact with others. Those who do have the opportunity to speak oftentimes repeat specific phrases, ignore questions, have monotone voices, and speaks in literal terms, ("Autism Speaks").
People with autism can struggle interacting with others since it is difficult for them to answer questions and understand sarcasm or jokes. They cannot understand when people use sarcasm or phrases that don't make literal sense to them. For example, saying "it's a piece of cake" to imply simplicity, does not make clear sense to them because they are not able to make those types of connections in their heads. In addition to translating everything literally in their minds, they sometimes repeat after someone else instead of responding to what they said. This is usually only a stage that fades away at the age of three. However, their ability to listen to what others have to say is a continual struggle.
People with autism can get carried away with a certain topic of conversation and only talk about things they find interesting rather than allowing someone else to share what they find interesting. A few other common communication difficulties that people with autism experience are understanding gestures, body language, or tone of voice. They often struggle with expressing their emotions and knowing what is appropriate at certain times. Sometimes they laugh at unusual times and sometimes they don't emotionally respond at all when people expect.
Overall, social interaction can be a big challenge for people with autism and it takes a lot of practice and intentionality in order to learn how to communicate respectfully.
Work Cited:
“Autism Speaks.” Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org/.
