Autism, Social Greetings and Rhetorical Questions
by Judy Endow Autism and Rhetorical Questions Autistic people may not automatically know how to respond to rhetorical social questions such as “How are you?” or automatically reciprocate in social pleasantries such as “good morning.” This is not because they are rude, obnoxious, don’t care, or any of the other assumed reasons people attribute to this behavior. Instead, it is because all social information is not automatically picked up and used by a person with an autistic brain. The autistic brain simply works differently. Even so, autistic people can learn those things their particular brain hasn’t allowed them to automatically
Autism, Differences and Murder
Ever since the not guilty verdict in the George Zimmerman trial and more recently, after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown, I have been and continue to be very much afraid in the pit of my stomach. The not guilty verdict and the dragging on of the no fault attitude in Michael Brown’s shooting underlines the fact that in our society it is perfectly ok to track down, shoot and kill someone perceived to be acting different. We fear people who are different from us. Differences come in many forms. If you are White then someone Black is
Speeding, Autism and No Ticket Issued!
In the past few years I have had two encounters with the police while driving my car. The first time I pulled into a school parking lot, answered an email on my Blackberry, gathered my stuff together and let out a little scream, as I didn’t expect to see a police officer standing at my car door! “Good afternoon officer. How might I help you?” I inquired, knowing that it is very important to always be polite to a police officer. “Do you know why I am stopping you?” “No, I do not,” I replied honestly. “Do you know the
Skunk Hair, Autism and Social Understanding
There is a saying, “love makes the world go round,” but for real it is NOT love. Instead, it is hidden curriculum that makes the world go round! Hidden curriculum is all that social information that most people know even though they were never actually taught it. An example is the rule “don’t pick your nose” with the hidden curriculum being it is perfectly fine to pick your nose as long as nobody sees you doing it. Many people with autism have difficulty with hidden curriculum. Their brains are not wired to allow them to automatically pick up this untaught,
