By Amber Roman
Sep 16, 2024, 5:26 PM EDT
A recent Rutgers study, published in The American Journal of Occupational Therapyis changing the way we understand emotions in autistic adults.
Contrary to preconceived notions and decades of research suggesting that autistic people have difficulty describing or expressing their emotions, this new study reveals a much more complex and nuanced picture.
The study, led by associate professor of occupational therapy Aaron Dallman, challenges the widely held notion that autistic adults lack a rich emotional life. Dallman poses a provocative question: “What if everything we know about autism is wrong?”
Their research indicates that many autistic adults are not only aware of their emotions, but can describe them with remarkable depth and detail.
To reach these conclusions, Dallman and his team conducted a series of focus groups with 24 autistic adults between the ages of 18 and 35. Through videoconferences, Participants discussed how they experience and describe their emotions, as well as the difficulties they face in communicating them to those not on the autism spectrum.
The results of the study show that Autistic adults use vivid, descriptive language to express their emotions, rather than traditional emotional labels. like “happy” or “sad.”
For example, they describe vertigo as “beeswaxing” and moments of joy as “a good morning coffee” that provides an “uplifting feeling.” Anger, on the other hand, begins with a “boiling” that “tenses the body” and culminates in headaches.
Affective contact can be a big challenge for autistic adults
Participants also noted that affective contact, or the sharing of feelings with non-autistic people, can be challenging. This is because the frequent misinterpretation of their emotional expressions by those unfamiliar with the autism spectrum.
“Some people have said things to me like, ‘Wow, you look really happy right now,’ when I’m just chilling,” one participant said, reflecting the frustration of being misunderstood.
This study offers fresh insight into the emotional lives of autistic adults and raises the need to adjust our perceptions and approaches towards them. Rather than insisting that autistic people conform to the emotional norms set by neurotypicals, Dallman suggests that it is crucial to work on improving mutual understanding.
“It’s time for our communities to embrace the unique perspectives and contributions of members of the autism community,” Dallman said. Rather than trying to change autistic people, Dallman advocates adjusting attitudes in classrooms and caregiving settings to better understand the messages autistic people communicate and how they express their emotions.
The study not only challenges the conventional view of autism, but also opens the door to new therapeutic strategies. The key, according to Dallman, is foster a deeper understanding and empathy towards autistic adultswhich could lead to a more inclusive and effective approach in therapy and in everyday life.
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