• Replies 13 replies
  • Subscribers 29 subscribers
  • Views 153 views
  • Users 3 members are here
Options
Related
Hints and tips
  • To quote someone's message, first select/highlight the relevant text, and then use the Quote button that appears
  • To "mention" someone, type @ followed by the start of the forum name, and choose from the list; that person will get a notification of being mentioned

Pragmatic Language Do humans really understand what they and others are saying? Implications for autistic people.

Phased

An excellent recent thread on Autism Related Terminology started by  and joined in by many fine members of our community has prompted this post.

The post highlighted to me just how important the meaning of words is to myself and perhaps others autistic people.

Maybe word meaning is so important because, as is frequently reported, autistic people often demonstrate difficulties in the communicative use of language compared with neurotypical standards.

A quick internet search reveals scientific studies finding that autistic children exhibit significant difficulties in pragmatics, 

"Pragmatic language refers to how people use language to communicate with one another. Being able to use language in different ways for different purposes and interpret how others use language in social situations is an important skill." 

A really simple way of understanding this is presented in a way that really made sense to me is in this Source What Is Pragmatic Language? - Child Mind Institute

The good person on the video really makes a key point to me about it being how we use language, how it is said and done. and that it might be taught.

Reflection on my own behaviour and other people who I know to be autistic points towards problems with pragmatic language continue well into adulthood.

Hehe maybe and old dog like me can learn new tricks!

Any thoughts on this good people?

Parents

  • Choosing the correct words to say something is extremely important because it can avoid confusion. Having said that, I am guilty of posting some nonsensical things on this forum, usually when my mind is all over the place or my grammar skills are diminished. This commonly happens when I’m sleep deprived or having some crisis, but I do try to make what I say clear.

    This has reminded me of an earlier post which contained a noun that had been in common use by some archaeologists, and which was listed in the Oxford Archaeological Dictionary, yet it had a different and more literal meaning in other academic specialisms and in daily life. Unrelated, to that post, sociology, archaeology, anthropology and philosophy use words that mean different things in the others specialisms or in every day life. Things like these might cause further disagreements here as we have people who are very knowledgeable on their specialist subjects.

  • in reply to ArchaeC

    Oh yes we do, don't we I think you and I have both run foul of people who question our use of terminology and won't give up trying to correct or undermine us.

Reply Children
  • in reply to TheCatWoman

    It’s really annoying and it tends to be the extreme black and white thinkers.

    I can be very black and white too over some things, but I am fairly good at understanding what colour thinking is when it comes to evaluating possibilities in different contexts and that sort of thing. Sometimes it’s plain English that gets me, and I can’t always understand the intended meaning at first reading.