Misunderstands sarcasm and banter
Behaviour
Your client is misunderstands sarcasm and banter no matter how important.
A person seems to take everything literally. They don't understand that someone's just joking with them. Sometimes they will be confused by common phrases such as "apple of my eye". "Good natured" banter may be perceived as direct insult.
This may lead to unpredictable behaviour or complete incomprehension. If you say to somebody "you're a real bad one" in a friendly joking way, they may think you are saying something bad about them.
Many people with learning difficulties have trouble dealing with language that is not exactly literal. They may not understand irony, sarcasm, or metaphor. This is particularly typical of people with autism.
Difficulty
Your client may have problems with reading notes, sequencing, understanding time or following instructions.
Many people with autism have trouble dealing with language that is not exactly literal. They may not understand irony, sarcasm, or metaphor.
Related difficulties
Strategies
Avoid sarcasm and banter, Give clear, short directions.
Other strategies include:
- Avoid sarcasm and banter
- Give clear, short directions
Avoid sarcasm and banter
You should avoid using banter and irony with someone on the autism spectrum. This may be hard, but it will be even harder to avoid using idioms and metaphors because you may not realise that there's anything special about them. Pay attention over time and you will learn which parts of language are particularly confusing to each individual.
Give clear, short directions
Give instructions one step at a time. Don't bunch up your directions. Check understanding before moving on to the next instruction.