7 effects of autism on social interaction

"Why can't he talk?"

Oftentimes this question is paraded ignorantly with autistic individuals by people who know little of the effects of autism on social interaction. 

This article helps to enlighten more people of the effects of autism on social interaction in a bid to sensitise the need for extra help with individuals on the spectrum

Difficulty in communication

One of the widely known effects of autism is difficulty in communication,  as individuals with autism have a hard time understanding and developing their language skills. They tend to repeat words that they have heard, or not understand words directed at them which causes them to give no response (which is often mistaken as a problem with hearing).

The repetitive speech pattern and lack of social awareness make it hard for them to learn the normal level of language skills (Some may not talk at all while others may have little difficulty speaking) and thus unable to communicate properly.

Difficulty in showing emotions

Autism makes it difficult to have social awareness and make difficult decisions.

This is because individuals with autism have a hard time recognising their emotions as well as the emotions of others. This can come off as them being uncaring which is mostly not the case.

Children with autism have a harder time with emotional development which includes understanding their own emotions, they may be able to express their feeling (Depending on where they are on the spectrum) but are unable to describe what they are feeling and thus make mistakes when trying to place the emotions of others.

Some may not be able to express their feelings in society’s standard of normal e.g. laughing when afraid, smiling when angry etc.

Impairment in social functioning

A common effect of autism on social interaction is the increased impairment of social skills such as initiating interactions, responding to the initiation of others, maintaining eye contact, reading non-verbal cues of others and looking at a scenario from another person’s perspective.

The inability to read or understand these social skills can make social interaction difficult and uncomfortable for autistic individuals.

Anxiety and social exhaustion

Another very common effect of autism on social interaction is high-level anxiety and social exhaustion that's due to difficulty in communication and comprehension, individuals with autism tend to develop anxiety toward social interaction because of negative experiences associated with them and thus find interacting with others exhausting.

This anxiety makes them withdraw further away from social interaction.

Autistic people may dedicate a certain amount of energy to processing tasks and because it is not instinctive, social interaction takes up a larger amount of that energy.

Difficulty in maintaining relationships

A social disconnection makes it difficult for an individual with autism to maintain good relationships with people around them. It is because they are unable to recognise and comprehend emotions, therefore, making it tough to build social relationships.

They find it difficult to make friends and build connections with others as they may suffer from anxiety, have a fear of being vulnerable or struggle with the social skills necessary to do such. Thus affecting their ability to maintain relationships.

Difficulty in physical contact

Individuals with autism often find themselves non-receptive to touch and as such avoid interactions that would require physical contact. They tend to find big groups and crowds intimidating and will most often retreat into themselves to avoid these situations.

That is not to say that they do not desire physical interactions but that they may simply have difficulty accepting them. This makes social interactions that require touch uncomfortable for them.

Narrow interests and exceptional ability

Approximately 10% of the autistic population tend to show remarkable skill or exceptional ability in a particular area while being deficient in others.

They may be able to learn much on a topic that holds their interest and show little to no knowledge on topics that do not. This does not suddenly make them able to hold two-way conversations about topics that hold their interest.

Because of their narrow interest, they tend to put things that do not hold their interest as background noise. They may find it difficult to relate with others that have interests that vary from theirs.

This is often seen as a lack of care for the interest of others

Ultimately, autism's impact on social skills can be worked through with consistent therapy and over time improvements start to show.

Refrence

https://betterkids.education/blog/autism-and-social-emotional-learning – betterkids.education 

https://iancommunity.org/cs/autism/impairments_in_social_interaction – IANcommunity.org 

https://www.asha.org/public/speech/disorders/autism/ – asha.org 

https://thespectrum.org.au/autism-strategy/social-interaction/ – thespectrum.org.au

https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/autism-spectrum-disorder-communication-problems-children – NIDCD

https://psychcentral.com/autism/autism-social-skills – psychcentral.com

https://iidc.indiana.edu/irca/articles/making-and-keeping-friends.html – Indiana.edu 

Merriam Webster dictionary