Those of you who are aspie/on the spectrum or who are close to someone who is, do you find that being able to see the person they want to understand, either on film or especially live, entirely offsets the impairment (for those who have an impairment - I don't think all aspies do)? I think that for empathy the answer looks close to yes, that the nonverbal cues are sufficient; but for understanding strictly cognitive states, those cues only make up some of the ground. Or perhaps merely hearing or reading about those states start them in a deeper hole in understanding than would be true for neurotypicals.
I'm not quite sure. I think I'm neurotypical (but of course I would), and I sometimes found it easier to understand some math concept when someone was explaining it than when I read it, even if it was exactly the same words. (There's a confounding factor there, of course; I was typically reading at night and the lectures were in the day when I was more awake.)
ReplyDeleteI hadn't even thought of it in the context of teaching, so thanks for that expansion.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand what you're saying or asking here.
ReplyDeleteThe fault is likely mine. If you are texting or emailing, or in the old days corresponding with someone individually, it is always worse for difficult, especially emotional topics. We all know having other cues - from the phone, from video, or even live - tells us a good deal we would otherwise miss. But is this more pronounced for people on the spectrum, or is the loss and gain of information about the same for them?
ReplyDeleteAnd if there is some difference, is it more apparent with emotional information or is it about the same for other cognitive information, such as abstract ideas, concrete memory, new skills, etc?