Published on 12, July, 2020
So I was reading the study in the title, found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/srep40700
Here are a few quotes:
we find that first impressions of individuals with ASD ... are not only far less favorable across a range of trait judgments compared to controls, but also are associated with reduced intentions to pursue social interaction. These patterns are remarkably robust, occur within seconds, do not change with increased exposure, and persist across both child and adult age groupsHow people respond to unfamiliar individuals prior to social interaction is governed in large part by first impressions, which are near instantaneous judgments of personality and character traits based upon “thin slices” of information... negative first impressions often prompt rejection or avoidance behaviors. For individuals with ASD, negative perceptions may relate to the social exclusion they frequently experiencethere is some evidence in the literature that the movement patterns of individuals with ASD are atypical and may represent a salient cue of awkwardness
This is really unfair and there is nothing we can do about it. People make judgements about us so quickly based solely on appearance (photos and videos) and neurotypical people consistently rated autistic people lower on the following:
And Autistic people were rated significantly higher on awkwardness. This based only on videos or even a static image! When people were shown only a transcript of the speech, autistic people were not rated worse. So these are snap judgements people make based on non-verbal information and appearance, and they do not change their mind once the judgement is made.
What can we even do about this? It would seem it's not even conscious behaviour in neurotypical people, they just get this automatic instant gut feeling that there is something "off" about autistic people when they see them.
I'll be honest and admit that as an autistic person, I do make snap judgments about other people. Not about whether I think they may or may not be autistic though because there is no way of knowing that just from looking at a person.
What I'm referring to here are people I encounter outside my home. I live in an area that is a hot spot for knife crimes that can occur in broad daylight. Whilst I know one shouldn't stereotype people, if I encounter someone that is dressed a certain way and looks decidedly dodgy to me, then my immediate reaction is to want to steer clear of them and give them a wide berth. It's entirely possible they may well be autistic too, and also completely harmless.
My son is 29, and although not diagnosed, he has autistic traits. He finds that when people encounter him, they will often give him a wide berth. I think this is partly because of his height and the clothing he wears, and also because his facial expression can send out the wrong signals and make him seem angry and unapproachable.
As for me, I have no idea how much neurotypicals may judge me, but I am inclined to think this is something ASD males are likely to experience more than females. I'm basing this on the fact that people generally seem more willing to approach me than my son.
Sporadic Sparkly said:As for me, I have no idea how much neurotypicals may judge me, but I am inclined to think this is something ASD males are likely to experience more than females. I'm basing this on the fact that people generally seem more willing to approach me than my son.
It might be the case. I have a straggly beard and not the most eclectic fashion sense. I've convinced myself I make others uncomfortable - although admittedly I have also said things which have done the same.
I can be very awkward when out in public, I can freeze up and I don't think that helps.