Published on 12, July, 2020
I was listening to the radio the other day and they were talking about things that you’ve only just learnt or realised that everyone else seems to just know, the typical - “I was today years old when I realised…”. Made me think of some things that I didn’t register about straight away, and now wonder whether this is part of my autistic way of thinking about things, that I just thought about things literally. Some examples…
On for sale sites when people put something about collections, I always thought they meant that the person that bought the item had to be a collector to purchase it, as in a stamp collector or a coin collector, like it was their hobby. Not that they had to physically be able to go and collect it from the person selling.
In the song ‘one man went to mow, went to mow-a-meadow’ I always assumed there was a place called mow-a-meadow. I didn’t realise he was going to a meadow to mow/cut the grass.
when people put ‘Tia’ at the bottom of a post I thought it was that their name was Tia and it always amused me how many people shared the same name. It was only recently that I realised it was ‘thanks in advance’
Has anyone else got any examples of things like this? Do other people do it? Is it an autistic literal thinking thing or am I just stupid? :)
You aren't stupid, this is definitely an autism thing.
I'm always taking things literally. I can remember as a child when my Mum said it's raining cats and dogs outside and I went to the window and said "where?"
Scarily I still do this now. I did it at work only a few months ago when a colleague said it, got me a few giggles but my brain didn't work it out until I'd made a fool of myself.
This happens a lot with many things. It's reassuring to see I'm not the only one as I worried I might be.
I used to think teacher training day meant that teachers were allowed to wear trainers.
There was another woman I worked with (years later, in another company) who used to talk about her 'little boy' and I was equally bemused by what her 'little boy' got up to until one day she said that she went to a fish and chip shop with him and when she came out she dropped a sausage onto the pavement and he ate it.
I first asked why he ate it off the pavement + then the truth struck ...I said, oh, is your 'little boy' a dog? + she said 'yes' ....
I used to work with someone who spoke for months about her 'little girl'.
So, each day, she'd tell me about something her 'little girl' had got up to and I used to think that her 'little girl' was rather unusual.
One day she said to me 'my little girl ran in from the garden, jumped on my bed and started licking my face'.
I thought, ooh, that's a really weird child + then it struck me.
I asked 'is your little girl a dog by any chance'? + she said 'yes'.....
Sloan said:In the song ‘one man went to mow, went to mow-a-meadow’ I always assumed there was a place called mow-a-meadow. I didn’t realise he was going to a meadow to mow/cut the grass.
Nor did I.
I thought it was 'went to Mow and Meadow' and I thought it was a place too (well, 2 places actually) ...
I'm not sure I knew the Tia one. I think I would have thought it was their name. I can't think of any examples but I often puzzle over something only to realize they didn't mean it literally.
I have just remembered one. I used to wonder why I got messages with donotreply automatically when reporting things, thinking it was some type of computer language.It was only when I mentioned the donoreply thing one day to someone that they explained it was do not reply.
Sloan said:when people put ‘Tia’ at the bottom of a post I thought it was that their name was Tia and it always amused me how many people shared the same name. It was only recently that I realised it was ‘thanks in advance’
Funny!
Sloan said: Is it an autistic literal thinking thing or am I just stupid? :)
Definitely an autistic thing! You are amongst some very literal autistic thinkers, especially me! It makes for some very funny conversations and interactions on a daily basis!