a child looking out a window
The paper’s authors say they hope the research will lead to more respectful treatment of people with autism as well as development of more effective methods of supporting them. NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the University of Virginia news release.

People with Autism Want to Socialize, They May Just Express It Differently

Summary: A new study pushes back the assumption that those on the autism spectrum do not wish to socialize with others. Researchers hope their findings will lead to more respectful treatment of those with ASD and help develop more effective methods of support for those with autism.

Source: University of Virginia.

A new paper led by the University of Virginia and just published in the journal Behavioral and Brain Sciences is pushing back hard on the notion that people with autism are not interested in socializing.

The paper’s authors say they hope the research will lead to more respectful treatment of people with autism as well as development of more effective methods of supporting them.

“We believe the most effective interventions will involve teaching both autistic and non-autistic people to recognize each other’s social signals, rather than insisting that autistics behave like non-autistics do,” said Vikram Jaswal, an associate professor of psychology.

The paper, “Being vs. Appearing Socially Uninterested: Challenging Assumptions about Social Motivation in Autism,” is coauthored by Nameera Akhtar, a professor of developmental psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

“Our article challenges an influential account of explaining and intervening in autism,” Jaswal said. “Essentially, this account, which is common among both scientists and laypeople, claims that a primary reason for autistic people’s unusual behaviors is that they’re not socially motivated.

a child looking out a window
The paper’s authors say they hope the research will lead to more respectful treatment of people with autism as well as development of more effective methods of supporting them. NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the University of Virginia news release.

“We point out that this flies in the face of what many autistic people themselves say about longing for social connection and ignores alternative reasons for why autistics may sometimes behave in ways that non-autistics interepret to mean they are socially uninterested,” he said.

In the paper, the two professors challenge the assumption that people with autism do not wish to socialize, by offering alternative explanations for four behaviors:

  • low levels of eye contact,
  • infrequent pointing,
  • motor stereotypies (repetitive movements), and
  • echolalia (verbatim repetition of another’s words)
    • They suggest low eye contact could be a strategy some autistics use to concentrate. Some autistics say they find it hard to pay attention to what someone is saying while looking at them. “Ironically, NOT looking someone in the eye may actually mean that they are trying very hard to pay attention and to participate in the conversation even though it can get interpreted in the opposite way,” Akhtar said.

      About this neuroscience research article

      Source: Jane Kelly – University of Virginia
      Publisher: Organized by NeuroscienceNews.com.
      Image Source: NeuroscienceNews.com image is adapted from the University of Virginia news release.
      Original Research: Abstract for “Being vs. Appearing Socially Uninterested: Challenging Assumptions about Social Motivation in Autism” by Vikram K. Jaswal, and Nameera Akhtar in Behavioral and Brain Sciences. Published June 19 2018.
      doi:10.1017/S0140525X18001826

      Cite This NeuroscienceNews.com Article

      [cbtabs][cbtab title=”MLA”]University of Virginia”People with Autism Want to Socialize, They May Just Express It Differently.” NeuroscienceNews. NeuroscienceNews, 28 June 2018.
      <https://neurosciencenews.com/autism-socialization-9466/>.[/cbtab][cbtab title=”APA”]University of Virginia(2018, June 28). People with Autism Want to Socialize, They May Just Express It Differently. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved June 28, 2018 from https://neurosciencenews.com/autism-socialization-9466/[/cbtab][cbtab title=”Chicago”]University of Virginia”People with Autism Want to Socialize, They May Just Express It Differently.” https://neurosciencenews.com/autism-socialization-9466/ (accessed June 28, 2018).[/cbtab][/cbtabs]


      Abstract

      Being vs. Appearing Socially Uninterested: Challenging Assumptions about Social Motivation in Autism

      Progress in psychological science can be limited by a number of factors, not least of which are the starting assumptions of scientists themselves. We believe that some influential accounts of autism rest on a questionable assumption that many of its behavioral characteristics indicate a lack of social interest—an assumption that is flatly contradicted by the testimony of many autistic people themselves. In this paper, we challenge this assumption by describing alternative explanations for four such behaviors: (a) low levels of eye contact, (b) infrequent pointing, (c) motor stereotypies, and (d) echolalia. The assumption that autistic people’s unusual behaviors indicate diminished social motivation has had profound and often negative effects on the ways they are studied and treated. We argue that understanding and supporting autistic individuals will require interrogating this assumption, taking autistic testimony seriously, considering alternative explanations for unusual behaviors, and investigating unconventional—even idiosyncratic—ways that autistic individuals may express their social interest. These steps are crucial, we believe, for creating a more accurate, humane, and useful science of autism.

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  1. I’m 41 years old and I was diagnosed Aspergers when I was 25 (having symptoms since I was 16 months old). This realization of us wanting to socialize is something I wish everyone understood. I do want to socialize, but because too many people misjudge me, based on my behaviors that are different than non-autistics, causes me to have frequent problems with non-autistics.

    The part about not looking in order to concentrate, is 100% true in my life. I am able to concentrate more on what someone else is saying if I didn’t have to concentrate on looking at them. But because of social expectations and accusations of not-listening, I had to train myself how to look at people, how often to look at them, and how much is too much, it was so hard for me to learn how to look at people, which I didn’t get a good balance of that until I was in my 20’s.

    I also get people who get mad at me and assume I am being too serious, or too dramatic, just from me typing a lot. And my emotional reactions are more intense over things than how a non-autistic would react. Being more emotional than non-autistics also causes unwanted conflicts with non-autistics and myself.

    Misjudgements about how I feel and think makes it very hard for me to live in this world of non-autistics, when most people arent autistic, and expect me to behave and act like them… it is so hard…. I strongly wish that this research will open the eyes of non-autistics, and help non-autistics stop severely misjudging us. and for this research to also educate me on what non-autistics do, I see much potential for that to help me as well, so I can understand why non-autisitcs get so suddenly upset with me, without any indication as to what behavior of mine set them off.

    I have autism. I want to socialize, I have empathy, sometimes too much it hurts. It is really hard to get along with most of the world when non-autistics misjudge me, and want nothing to do with me. I wish more people would realize that we are different, not stupid and insensitive.

    Please continue this research! Understanding is so important! Thank you for this article.

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