I have had many situations when someone has said something to me and they have meant something else, or not been clear about what they mean, regardless of whether it is intentional. I understand it is the speech pattern of people who are not on the spectrum. However, for me, I like to know exactly what someone means so I can understand what they are saying.

Be Specific

Recently, I was in a situation where someone wanted to contact me about something important. They said they would phone me. I waited for an entire week for this phone call I was supposed to be having, and it never materialised. I then discovered this important information had been sent in an email, and I had not checked my emails that week. I had a lot on, and it was my fault because I should have checked them, but I would have looked if I had been told it was going to be an email rather than a phone call.

Sarcasm, Metaphors and Idioms

Sarcasm is the opposite of what the person really means, so it can be a challenge for some autistic people. It depends on the context and the tone too. Most of the time, these have not been a challenge for me. ‘The weather is nice today, isn’t it?’ when the weather is horrible, I realise they are being sarcastic. However, there are other situations where it is less obvious. For example, ‘nice dress’ could mean they are being genuine and like the dress or they hate it and are being sarcastic, here it is more difficult to understand what they mean.

I also understand what someone says if they say around 2pm or 2ish. These can be challenging for some autistic people, and as we are all different, it is not for me. I use them because sometimes I am not on time anyway, and it gives me some flexibility, so they work for me 😂.

When someone speaks about ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’, I know it isn’t actually raining cats and dogs, and it just means it is pouring with rain. I know that ‘hit the hay’ is to go to bed, and to ‘spill the beans’ is when you are revealing something that you are not supposed to say, or revealing a secret.

Jokes

Jokes often have double meanings with an unexpected punchline. Having good social knowledge of the situation is often a requirement in understanding jokes and also depends on cultural practices.

Image by Monica Rodriguez from Pixabay

Why Do Autistic People Think Literally?

The reason behind literal thinking is that the brains of people with autism focus on facts and small details first rather than what is called ‘the big picture’. We focus on the direct meaning of words, and we are not so good at interpreting the social context and social cues such as tone of voice and facial expressions to understand the meaning.

Conclusion

I prefer someone to be specific and not vague about the things they say. It provides clarity and predictability, and there is no chance of misreading or misunderstanding what someone has said.

I think more about the rules and literal interpretation rather than what fits in socially, and I prefer communication to be clear and accurate.

However, I love a bit of sarcasm, metaphors and idioms. It adds colour to language. I always enjoyed the cinema, and reading or listening to fiction, and I think that is where I learned them. I understand a lot of these with life experience and learning from social situations. There was a time when I googled some if I didn’t understand them to find the meaning. However, I have heard them used so many times, and I can use them myself now too.

I enjoy a laugh and have a great sense of humour. I am a fan of slapstick jokes that are visual, where I can see someone being completely stupid, such as fail videos on YouTube. They are great.

Over time, I have learned to recognise language that isn’t literal and to recognise jokes, sarcasm, metaphors and idioms. Life experience has enabled me to understand different styles of communication.

For more information

• Morrison, C. (2024) Autism and literal thinking: Understanding the connection, Autism Parenting Magazine. Available at: https://www.autismparentingmagazine.com/autism-literal-thinking/ (Accessed: 10 August 2025).