Contrary to common beliefs, individuals with autism do experience complex emotions, but their language of experiencing and expressing them is different. If this Rutgers University researcher is correct, the long-held belief that autistic individuals have very muted emotions may need to be altered. With that change in approach, maybe a better way to think of interacting with them would be to learn their language as much as helping them to learn yours.
With the prevalence of autism increasing and more autistic adults functioning in society’s flow, this study could lead to not only better understanding but better interactions with the non-autistic world. In the time-intensive study, Dallman organized focus groups of autistic and non-autistic individuals and led them through a series of interview questions. Then graduate students analyzed the interactions and responses to better understand how the autistic participants experienced and expressed emotions.
Those individuals with autism reported that words such as “happy” or “sad” did not fully express the emotions that they experienced. A few of the descriptions of emotions included: “giddiness manifests like “bees”; small moments of joy are like “a nice coffee in the morning” that yields “a sense of elevation”; anger starts with a “body-tensing” boil, then headaches.” (from Science Daily)
Dallman explained that often non-autistic individuals misperceive expressions by those with autism. Telling the person with autism that they look happy may be confusing as their language of emotion seems different. Dallman noted that individuals with autism describe their emotions more with physical sensations or in phenomenon associated language as the examples above demonstrate.
From this, if further research bears out this finding, we might consider learning the language of autism instead of focusing solely on expecting them to learn what we consider “normal” emotional language. Like any other interaction with someone speaking a different language, we should work in both directions. While we can encourage someone to learn our language, we should also work to understand theirs so communication is optimized.
Helping our patients with autism live healthier, more abundant lives includes removing the inflammation, toxins, and infections that disrupts brain development. However, it cannot stop there. Helping families learn to communicate appropriately in their child’s language, especially in terms of emotions allows not only the child to thrive but the family to thrive as well. This is exciting work to see in real time.
Original Article:
Aaron Dallman. Affective Contact in Autism: A Phenomenological Study of the Emotional Experiences of Autistic Adults. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 2024; 78 (4) DOI: 10.5014/ajot.2024.050502
Thanks to Science Daily:
Rutgers University. “Getting autism right.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 16 September 2024. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/09/240916115533.htm>.
Medical Disclaimer:
This article is intended for educational purposes only. I have attempted to confirm the accuracy of these statements but with time, some currently true statements may be proven incorrect. Before making any medical decisions, you should consult your medical provider. I am not a lawyer nor am I a remediator and cannot provide definitive answers in either category. Discuss legal and remediation decisions with appropriate professionals. Sanctuary is not responsible for decisions you make based on this article.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
