Ep. 7: Rob, 51, autistic -”I would go to meetups where I knew no one & I would be social with people I never met before - that’s like the Super Bowl of social practice”

 

In today's episode Rob shares with Jodi how his ex-wife's family didn't like him and he didn't understand why until two of his son's were diagnosed as autistic. He shares his perspective on smiling and learning to use tone of voice as well as his personal strategies for being intentional with practicing social skills, all of which has resulted in new friendships.

 

In this episode, Jodi mentions research about how autistic individuals don't use facial expressions and eye contact for information in the same way as non-autistic individuals. One study notes:

 

"Direct eye contact elicits a heightened physiological response as indicated by heightened skin conductance and increased amygdala activity. For individuals with autism, avoiding the eyes is an adaptive strategy, however, this approach interferes with the ability to process facial cues of identity, expressions and intentions, The “eye avoidance” strategy has negative effects on the ability to decode facial information about identity, expression, and intentions, exacerbating the social challenges for persons with ASD."

 

Tanaka, J. W., & Sung, A. (2016). The "Eye Avoidance" Hypothesis of Autism Face Processing. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 46(5), 1538–1552. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1976-7

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