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autism in different cultures

electra

I've been having an email discussion with an NT friend on how to overcome the problems I'm having at work. Now retired, he held a very senior position in the finance sector and said the worst clash of communication styles he had to deal wih was between a Dutch man and a Chinese woman. The Dutch man was very direct and the Chinese woman preferred more nuanced communication, misunderstandings and conflicts abounded.

But this got me thinking: with regard to communication, do autistic people have an easier time in Holland where people are typically more direct than us or are they more blunt than their countrymen and so still have the same problems? Conversely do autistic Chinese people find more barriers to comunication in China where etiquette and politeness matter more?

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    I think it can be easier when abroad because any communication differences are more likely to be ascribed to being "foreign". I feel more comfortable in France and Italy than in the US, I suspect because of the language difference. In the US, the language is the same (mainly), which makes the cultural differences harder to navigate: it lulls you into a false sense of security that it's the same culturally/socially, when it isn't.

  • Former Member
    Former Member

    For me, the problem at school was other children. My interests (history, literature, archaeology) and the way I spoke meant I was branded "a posh ***" and "snobby cow": it was acceptable to them to enjoy and excel in sport (which I didn't), but not in learning. As I got older, my asexuality meant I was called a "lez", when I didn't even know what that was. I suspect teachers didn't like me correcting their errors in class: one of my primary teachers told my parents she found me "intellectually intimidating" Laughing. However, the worst were the 2 years I spent at an inner city 'sink' junior high. For my own protection I had to spend break-times sitting on a chair outside the head's office (I wasn't allowed to stay in the school library without supervision, they said, because of fire regulations – but I don't spontaneously combust!). The school was more concerned about keeping the violent and disturbed chief bully in mainstream education, and told my parents they should feel sorry for her. Because I was way ahead of others academically, and had a stable family background, the school thought I'd be OK regardless: my happiness and sense of security didn't matter.

  • I think it helped me that schools were quiet. We did most of our lessons in silence, listening to a teacher.

    However, I did not fit in very well. I could not answer the class register at all during my first year at school. At junior school, I remember being"sent to coventry"by my class mates, for those unfamiliar, the whole class refused to speak to me for several days. I also had problems understanding things I was told to do and obeying rules. I was frequently in trouble, and was told at one point age 16, that people like me were not welcome in their school. I grovelled a lot, and was taken back. I had also been discouraged from applying for certain school trips. I never let that get to full confrontation, just avoided the situation. 

    I always assumed that, at secondary school, it was a social class barrier. My father was working class and most at my school were middle class. Now, I think it was my asd.

  • Thats a good point. As children we had less change in our daily routine to cope with.

    I think I was wondering really how much the comminication style of autistic people is fixed and how much it is influenced by upbringing.