8 ms·
There are many different things that can add up to a diagnosis of autism. Some people on the spectrum lack prosody and this routinely gets them in trouble with
by DoreenMichele 3y ago
There are many different things that can add up to a diagnosis of autism. Some people on the spectrum lack prosody and this routinely gets them in trouble with authority figures who literally "don't like your tone."
Subconscious tone matching is a means of signaling who is in authority and who is being deferential. If you can't tone match, cashiers and other "servant class" type roles won't care and may think you are wonderful for not being verbally abusive like a lot of their customers, but authority figures -- teachers, police, etc -- will hate you the second you open your mouth and there is no remedy for it.
They don't even consciously know what their issue is with you. You just grate on them and they just feel disrespected and can't put their finger on it.
No amount of coaching or trying to use more politically correct language fixes this, just like you don't stop being blind or deaf from coaching. It's a disability, a thing you just cannot do, and it can have disastrous consequences in some situations, like when dealing with the police.
- itronitron 3y agoAs I have gotten older, only now do I realize that the most effective way in navigating a situation is by 'playing a role'. I need to teach my children this skill as they can then focus on fitting the pattern rather than proposing a conjecture in order to initiate a philosophical conversation.