Autistic Language Hypothesis

The AutisticAutistic ways of being are human neurological variants that can not be understood without the social model of disability.If you are wondering whether you are Autistic, spend time amongst Autistic people, online and offline.  If... More language hypothesis (ALH) is a new alternative approach to autistic communication. FramingWhen we successfully reframe public discourse, we change the way the public sees the world. We change what counts as common sense. Because language activates frames, new language is required... More autistic verbal language as differentOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More, not disordered compared to allisticThe term ‘allistic’ is a synonym for ‘non-autistic’. The term ‘neurotypical’ is used to describe individuals with typical neurological development or functioning. Notably, this term is not an exact synonym... More people (non-autistic).

The hypothesis takes a NeurodiversityNeurodiversity is the diversity of human minds, the infinite variation in neurocognitive functioning within our species.NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodiversity is a biological fact. It’s not a perspective, an approach, a... More affirming approach to autistic verbal communication. The neurodiversity movement views autistic people and other neurodivergenceNeurodivergent, sometimes abbreviated as ND, means having a mind that functions in ways which diverge significantly from the dominant societal standards of “normal.”NEURODIVERSITY: SOME BASIC TERMS & DEFINITIONS Neurodivergent is quite... More such as ADHDADHD or what I prefer to call Kinetic Cognitive Style (KCS) is another good example. (Nick Walker coined this alternative term.) The name ADHD implies that Kinetics like me have... More as natural variations in human neurology

Viewing autistic verbal communication through a neurodiversity lens, autistic communication is a natural divergence or variation in human communication.​​ The ALH argues autistic verbal communication is functional and effective but different to allistic (non-autistic) communication.

Autistic neurology, behaviour, and communication are currently pathologizedWhen it comes to human neurodiversity, the dominant paradigm in the world today is what I refer to as the pathology paradigm. The long-term well-being and empowerment of Autistics and members of... More under the medical model. Framing autistic people as disordered and exhibiting ‘deficits’ compared to non-autistic people. This approach has been damaging to #ActuallyAutisticPeople and has perpetuated stigma, discrimination and harmful stereotypes.

The ALH builds upon the work of Damian Milton and the brilliant Double Empathy ProblemThe ‘double empathy problem’ refers to the mutual incomprehension that occurs between people of different dispositional outlooks and personal conceptual understandings when attempts are made to communicate meaning.From finding a... More. Milton proposed that when people interact and they have very different experiences of the world, they will struggle to empathise with one another. This mismatch in empathyEmpathy is not an autistic problem, it’s a human problem, it’s a deficit in imagination.We all need to work on imagining things we have not been through.Empathy, Imagination and Autism... More can lead to communicative difficulties between autistic and non-autistic people.

In a similar vein to the Double EmpathyThe ‘double empathy problem’ refers to the mutual incomprehension that occurs between people of different dispositional outlooks and personal conceptual understandings when attempts are made to communicate meaning.From finding a... More Problem the Autistic Language Hypothesis framesWhen we successfully reframe public discourse, we change the way the public sees the world. We change what counts as common sense. Because language activates frames, new language is required... More autsitic verbal communication as different not disordered. The ALH argues autistic people have a unique and effective way of communicating. However this has been deeply misunderstood by researchers taking a ‘outside looking in’ approach.

Cullen Consultancy on autistic experience

To further explain the double empathy problem, Rachel Cullen has devised a theory that Autistic people speak a different language to non-Autistic people. This further disproves that Autistic communication and socialisation is ‘deficit’ or a ‘disorder’, it is simply different, as well as explaining Autistic need for literal language. See also Double empathy problem.

Resources/books/articles – Aucademy

Disclaimer: the Autistic language processing hypothesis has not yet been substantiated in research, which would allow the hypothesis to be generalised to Autistic people. Therefore, it is only a hypothesised version of Autistic language processing and not a full theory as of yet. This also does not take into account co-occurring language differencesOur friends and allies at Randimals have a saying, What makes us different, makes all the difference in the world.Randimals We agree. Randimals are made up of two different animals... More such as an Autistic person who is also dyslexicDyslexia is a genetic, brain-based characteristic that results in difficulty connecting the sounds of spoken language to written words. It can result in errors in reading or spelling as well... More.

Training offered – Page 14 – Aucademy

Autistic pragmatic language hypothesis: Rachel Cullen’s theory helps explain the double empathy problem. It explains that perhaps non-autistic people are processing language polytropically (e.g., less detail focussed, able to split attention): seeing the bigger picture, not the detail; parsing (processing) sentences as a whole; where the context exists both in and outside of the words e.g., who is asking? where are we? what’s the tone of their voice? etc. 

Autistic people, conversely, are processing language monotropically: seeing the finer detail; parsing (processing) at the word level; where the context, for many Autistic people, is in the words only. 

And so, Autistic pragmatics versus neurotypicalThe existence of the word neurotypical makes it possible to have conversations about topics like neurotypical privilege. Neurotypical is a word that allows us to talk about members of the... More pragmatic languages:

• Autistic: context is in the words; processing each word in a sentence; literal; need for specificity of words and sentences:
  • “How are you doing?” becomes a huge sentence to parse each word without specificity, as we might not process who is asking; where we are; etc. Autistic brains tend to try and process all the words and their possible meanings: “When do you mean? Doing what? Why are you asking me? etc.”
  • Be specific: “Did your dentist appointment go OK this morning?”, and be prepared that questions may be asked to clarify what is being asked e.g., “What do you mean by OK?”.
• Neurotypical/non-autistic: context is in what is not said; processing at the sentence level as a chunk; figurative and subjective:
  • “How are you doing?” – asked by your boss, in the office, you’re both wearing suits: “I’m great, got that report done you asked for”. 
  • “How are you doing?” – asked by your friend, at home, you’re both in pyjamas: “Awful, my boss wanted loads of work from me”.

Theories about Autistic experience – Aucademy

What if pragmatic and other language differences found in autistic people are linguistic markers for a different but functional pragmatic system?

A functional way of using and interpreting language unique to autistic people?

The Autistic communication hypothesis: Rachel Cullen educates Annette & Chloe of Aucademy 23.10.2021 – YouTube

Further readingThere are three types of reading: eye reading, ear reading, and finger reading.The Dyslexia Empowerment Plan: A Blueprint for Renewing Your Child's Confidence and Love of Learning Most schools and... More,