Why is information confusing for autistic people but not neurotypical people?

Autistic people often feel “confused” about information that is quite clear to neurotypical people.

Why is this?

A neurotypical person’s brain works differently. They can interpret a message, and even if the message is a little unclear, they can still understand what it means quite quickly. They have the ability to understand information even if the information is vague or ‘casual.’

On the other hand, an autistic person tends to absorb information literally and with great detail and precision. Neurotypical people often don’t present information as clearly and precisely as autistic people would like. Therefore, information can be very confusing for autistic people. They have to navigate or try to make sense of inconsistent or confusing information produced by neurotypical people!

Autistic people also tend to have close attention to detail, which means they are likely to notice inconsistencies, errors or unclear information. Neurotypical people may not have such close attention to detail, so they might not even notice when there is something ‘wrong’ or imprecise.

The ability to notice ‘wrong’, imprecise, inconsistent or unclear information is indeed an ability! It is a very useful gift to have for certain jobs or tasks. However, the downside is that life can be so confusing for autistic people who have this gift.

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The post Why is information confusing for autistic people but not neurotypical people? appeared first on The Girl with the Curly Hair.