Trying to get an idea of how NTs see us. I know that when I see autistic people, I see someone that’s like me. Obviously, that’s not how NTs perceive us, so what do we look like to yall??
I see it during moments of high stress or panic, and how they react. A lot of people in my workplace are on the spectrum.
How I handle it is usually the same with anybody. Give them space to recollect, and ask for next steps. Sometimes I break their tasks into smaller bites. Sometimes I switch their task to something with a different modality, like less mental work or more research work.
While I want to say that I treat people differently who I know are on the spectrum, I kind of don’t. Everyone needs space, some more than others.
Sometimes silence. They’re still processing. Like if I say something, and then silence for more than five seconds. I’ve learned with them that it’s okay to just wait for them to say something, even if it’s a full 20 seconds of silence.
Sometimes they agree but they aren’t thinking it through. Like I ask for a task but it’s vague, they repeat the task back but not asking expected followup questions. The example of “file the report”, I was expecting them to respond with, “Do you want in a PDF? Emailed? Over chat?” If they fail to say that, it tells me to stick around and be ready to support them.
Both things are behaviors everyone has. Just folks on the spectrum may take a lot longer to piece everything together, and that’s okay! The workplace is set up for that flexibility.
Delay in auditory processing. I know it can be really tricky for me. Sometimes the meaning of what somebody says to me arrives seconds after the sound. If I am too eager to get everything correctly, right after they start speaking a voice in my head goes ‘Pay attention now so you don’t miss what the other person is saying!’ (especially when people tell me their name while I try to remember also looking at their face 😅 ). The more nervous I am the stronger this will become. When somebody gets impatient or angry at me my head will just start to repeat random words and I might need a full day to even become functional again.
It’s funny to think that there’s a world full of people who don’t have that. It explains why most other people just talk in groups (?) and everybody seems to know what to say next without getting confused?
I’ve been doing freelance work since ever - because I also had no idea that some companies really could accommodate for my communication issues. So there - if you want a competent remote translator feel free to message me (but don’t phone me 😜 )