by Erica Leung~In my opinion one of the most frustrating characteristics of being on the Autism Spectrum is the constant struggle to navigate the world’s socialization cues. Personally I am forced to realize that this is still an area I can’t quite overcome.
Despite the fact that I have about a decade’s worth of acting and speech lessons under my belt, I still have a hard time figuring out what is truly being said to me. I simply can’t keep up and process as quickly as the conversation is going. I often misconstrue the intentions behind people’s words.
For example, a while back when I was considering a career change, my mother said to me ” making a move to get a bigger paycheck shouldn’t be that important to you. “What she meant was that my job is good for me because there is very little stress or any required overtime. However, what I heard was, “making money shouldn’t be a priority for you.” I took it the wrong way and ended up having an argument with my mother.
Unfortunately, in life there is no “cut” or “replay,” so I cannot go back and change my reaction. If I had taken a minute or two to just stop and think, this whole situation could probably have been avoided. I know communicating is a two-way street, but I am starting to realize that I too am at fault when a mishap occurs. I am learning that it may be necessary for me to tell the person I am conversing with that I may need a few minutes to process what is really going on. That should give me the time to more effectively contribute to the conversation without the bad feelings that arise from misperceptions.
