Last week Spectrum published a fascinating online article
written by Nicholette Zeliadt regarding research on how voices of people with
autism are perceived. [To read this article, please click here.] The article
entitled “‘Tone’ of phrase may differ in autism, but meaning is clear” summarizes
research by Dr. Noah Sasson and his colleagues at University of Texas at Dallas
that was published in Autism Research on August 17, 2017. Noting that people
with autism often use unusual speech patterns and have difficulty with social
skills, the research examined how listeners perceive these differences. This
study focused upon effects of “emotional prosody,” the cues that convey emotions
and make speech different from written text, such as tone of voice and volume.
To test perceptions of speech patterns, the researchers had thirty men of average or above average intelligence––15 typical men and 15 men with autism––make audio recordings of five phrases with five different ways of saying those phrases. These phrases, such as, “I can’t believe this” could convey a variety of emotions, depending on the tone of voice. The phrases were said with the following emotions: happy, sad, angry, interested, and neutral. Afterward, the tones were analyzed for volume, pitch, and how long it took to say them. The men with autism were louder, had greater pitch variety, and took longer to say these phrases with emotion, but were the same volume, pitch, and length in the neutral tone as the typical men.
Later, a group of individuals (22 people with autism and 30 typical people) listened to these audio recordings and identified the emotions conveyed by the prosody of each statement. Not surprisingly, the people with autism had more difficulty identifying the emotions conveyed by each statement. However, all listeners were better at correctly identifying the emotions conveyed by the speakers with autism, who used exaggerated volume and pitch. Despite their unusual prosody, the men with autism could clearly convey the emotions they were communicating to others.
While the typical listeners were able to identify the emotions the speakers with autism conveyed, they perceived their speech as less natural and formed unfavorable impressions of them. These negative reactions correlated with an earlier study this research team did in which they showed typical people videos of people with autism speaking. After watching these videos, the typical people indicated they were unlikely to want to interact with people with autism. However, when the typical people only read transcripts of what the people with autism said, they did not form these negative biases. Consequently, what the people with autism said was less important than their speech patterns, which made typical listeners quickly form negative first impressions of them. Moreover, the researchers found that the typical people’s negative perceptions of people with autism were quite strong and did not change with increased exposure; they understood what the people with autism were saying, but they could not get past the unusual ways they spoke.
After seeing the negative ways typical people react to how people with autism communicate, the researchers’ goal is to find ways to minimize negative biases against people with autism. They hope that the more typical people understand people with autism, the more positive their perceptions of people with autism might be. In addition, the decrease of bias could improve social experiences for people with autism as the likelihood for interaction with typical people could improve. The research team plans to do evaluations of people with autism and typical people getting to know each other in person to find traits that make positive judgments and interactions possible.
Ironically, people with autism are often said to have poor social skills, yet they often seem to lack the prejudices found in typical people that negatively impact social interaction. While Alex finds people’s voice qualities fascinating and likes what makes them unique, others may judge him negatively because of his halting speech and emotional prosody affected by autism. I have often said that Alex is very perceptive about people and is intuitively drawn to those he sees as kind; perhaps he senses the bias of those put off by his style of speaking. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem bothered by those who would rather not engage with him, and he simply gravitates toward those who do see past his unique way of speaking to the clever mind and pure heart he possesses.
As the mother of a young man with autism, I found the results of these studies disappointing that many people have prejudices against people with autism because of the way they speak. However, I can also objectively say that before I had a child with autism, I probably would have reacted the same way: uncomfortable with those who spoke in unusual ways. As a teacher, I witnessed how some typical students reacted negatively to their peers with autism and tried to teach them to be compassionate. Yet, human nature sadly sometimes causes us to judge those different from us as being less. Truly, I hope that the researchers can find ways for people with autism to interact positively with typical people to develop greater understanding. Not only will people with autism benefit from more opportunities to develop their social interactions, but typical people could also benefit from all they can learn from people with autism.
“I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.” Psalm 116:1
To test perceptions of speech patterns, the researchers had thirty men of average or above average intelligence––15 typical men and 15 men with autism––make audio recordings of five phrases with five different ways of saying those phrases. These phrases, such as, “I can’t believe this” could convey a variety of emotions, depending on the tone of voice. The phrases were said with the following emotions: happy, sad, angry, interested, and neutral. Afterward, the tones were analyzed for volume, pitch, and how long it took to say them. The men with autism were louder, had greater pitch variety, and took longer to say these phrases with emotion, but were the same volume, pitch, and length in the neutral tone as the typical men.
Later, a group of individuals (22 people with autism and 30 typical people) listened to these audio recordings and identified the emotions conveyed by the prosody of each statement. Not surprisingly, the people with autism had more difficulty identifying the emotions conveyed by each statement. However, all listeners were better at correctly identifying the emotions conveyed by the speakers with autism, who used exaggerated volume and pitch. Despite their unusual prosody, the men with autism could clearly convey the emotions they were communicating to others.
While the typical listeners were able to identify the emotions the speakers with autism conveyed, they perceived their speech as less natural and formed unfavorable impressions of them. These negative reactions correlated with an earlier study this research team did in which they showed typical people videos of people with autism speaking. After watching these videos, the typical people indicated they were unlikely to want to interact with people with autism. However, when the typical people only read transcripts of what the people with autism said, they did not form these negative biases. Consequently, what the people with autism said was less important than their speech patterns, which made typical listeners quickly form negative first impressions of them. Moreover, the researchers found that the typical people’s negative perceptions of people with autism were quite strong and did not change with increased exposure; they understood what the people with autism were saying, but they could not get past the unusual ways they spoke.
After seeing the negative ways typical people react to how people with autism communicate, the researchers’ goal is to find ways to minimize negative biases against people with autism. They hope that the more typical people understand people with autism, the more positive their perceptions of people with autism might be. In addition, the decrease of bias could improve social experiences for people with autism as the likelihood for interaction with typical people could improve. The research team plans to do evaluations of people with autism and typical people getting to know each other in person to find traits that make positive judgments and interactions possible.
Ironically, people with autism are often said to have poor social skills, yet they often seem to lack the prejudices found in typical people that negatively impact social interaction. While Alex finds people’s voice qualities fascinating and likes what makes them unique, others may judge him negatively because of his halting speech and emotional prosody affected by autism. I have often said that Alex is very perceptive about people and is intuitively drawn to those he sees as kind; perhaps he senses the bias of those put off by his style of speaking. Fortunately, he doesn’t seem bothered by those who would rather not engage with him, and he simply gravitates toward those who do see past his unique way of speaking to the clever mind and pure heart he possesses.
As the mother of a young man with autism, I found the results of these studies disappointing that many people have prejudices against people with autism because of the way they speak. However, I can also objectively say that before I had a child with autism, I probably would have reacted the same way: uncomfortable with those who spoke in unusual ways. As a teacher, I witnessed how some typical students reacted negatively to their peers with autism and tried to teach them to be compassionate. Yet, human nature sadly sometimes causes us to judge those different from us as being less. Truly, I hope that the researchers can find ways for people with autism to interact positively with typical people to develop greater understanding. Not only will people with autism benefit from more opportunities to develop their social interactions, but typical people could also benefit from all they can learn from people with autism.
“I love the Lord because He hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.” Psalm 116:1
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