How ASD Impacts Your Communication

Communication is an essential skill for all aspects of life. It’s a foundational piece for any relationship. It allows us to engage with the world around us. And at the most basic level, it’s how we ask for what we need and express our feelings.

Communication is also one of the main things that autism spectrum disorder  (ASD) impacts. ASD is typically thought to be a children’s disorder, but as many as 2.21% of adults in the United States are living with it.

ASD can cause struggles with cues, interactions, and self-expression. This makes daily life significantly more challenging. Here, we’ll take a deeper look at the connection.

Verbal Communication

Verbal communication is how we use words and sounds to convey a desired message. The words we choose to use, interestingly enough, only make up about 7% of the communication process. The tone of our voice makes up another 38%.

For some people who have ASD, there can be delays in the development of speech, either occurring at a later time or minimally compared to peers. When those verbal components are limited, that can make 45% of the communication process much less effective.

Echolalia, or repeating phrases heard by others, is also commonly seen with ASD. While words are used, it doesn’t mean there is an understanding of what they mean. With ASD, it can be hard to comprehend beyond the literal meaning of words and phrases. Unfortunately, a great deal of speech contains slang, idioms, sarcasm, and figurative language.

Social Interactions

When you have ASD, initiation of conversations might be a challenge. If your language skills are delayed, you may not feel comfortable putting yourself out there in stressful situations. You sometimes don’t understand what people say, or you don’t know how to respond, so you engage as infrequently as possible to avoid embarrassment.

Aside from the language and words themselves, it can be challenging to read social cues in a normal manner. You may not understand the back-and-forth dynamic of typical conversation, so there may be awkward moments.

Additionally, there’s often a special interest effect with those who have ASD. You have this intense interest in topics that aren’t often shared with many people around you. While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having varied interests, it can be isolating at times. Others may not understand the intensity, or they may not care to focus on this particular subject matter.

Nonverbal Communication

As mentioned above, the verbal component only makes up about 45% of the communication process. The other 55% comes from your nonverbal communication, or things like expression, gestures, body language, and eye contact.

ASD makes interpreting facial expressions and using your own expressions difficult. This also applies to hand gestures and body language. When you don’t naturally express yourself physically, nor understand the meaning when others do so, it can be quite the challenge to capture the full conversation that’s occurring.

Also worth noting, for many with ASD, there is a struggle to make or maintain eye contact. This can negatively impact social interactions since others may be bothered by the lack of eye contact when speaking.

Functioning with ASD

While communication issues are common among those with ASD, it’s important to note that those individuals can still manage conversations successfully. These challenges don’t make it impossible.

Getting help to work through some of the communication barriers can greatly improve your ability to engage with others more effectively. Through therapy sessions, you can learn how to handle stress, identify problem areas, and develop strategies for improving communication.

Are you interested in learning more about therapy for ASD? Reach out today to schedule a consultation to discuss ASD Testing.