Idioms

I don't understand the idiom struggle at all.

When an article says that people with ASD struggle with idioms, what does this mean exactly? (the struggle, I know what an idiom is)

There's plenty of YouTubes where people talk about the amusing time they failed to understand a particular saying and how typical this is of autism.

So are they actually saying that when anyone uses that particular phrase again, they still cannot comprehend what's going on even though they have already learned what it means ?

Can someone explain this to someone that only recently discovered that Romans came from Italy ;)

Parents
  • Hello 


    ‘When an article says that people with ASD struggle with idioms, what does this mean exactly? (the struggle, I know what an idiom is)’

    We autistic people have a different communication style, that is usually literal, specific and honest. So this can mean for some of us (including myself at times) that idioms make no sense and it would just be much more logical to say what you mean.  This is because of the way we often interpret language literally.

    It’s perfectly ok to not relate to one common aspect of autistic experience. The example you give about idioms is just an observation.

    For example, I understand some idioms and not others but generally I don’t see the point in using them. I would rather people be more explicit in their communication to avoid confusion. However I do understand why people use them if they want to hint at/avoid an emotional or controversial topic. 

    Yes we can learn the meaning of idioms (or alternatively like I do, interpret them very literally and make people laugh).

Reply
  • Hello 


    ‘When an article says that people with ASD struggle with idioms, what does this mean exactly? (the struggle, I know what an idiom is)’

    We autistic people have a different communication style, that is usually literal, specific and honest. So this can mean for some of us (including myself at times) that idioms make no sense and it would just be much more logical to say what you mean.  This is because of the way we often interpret language literally.

    It’s perfectly ok to not relate to one common aspect of autistic experience. The example you give about idioms is just an observation.

    For example, I understand some idioms and not others but generally I don’t see the point in using them. I would rather people be more explicit in their communication to avoid confusion. However I do understand why people use them if they want to hint at/avoid an emotional or controversial topic. 

    Yes we can learn the meaning of idioms (or alternatively like I do, interpret them very literally and make people laugh).

Children
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