Post #2537291

So this is pure conjecture and makes far too many assumptions about ASD and NT people; but I have two theories: 1) I suspect NT have an easier time with these situations since they have an easier time reading the emotions of others, which means they have a more accurate understanding of the consequences. ASD people are less confident in understanding how others may react so they catastrophize (X will be upset with me because I didn't do exactly Y) NT people know that the person on the counter isn't mad that they don't have correct change, they know that their parents are happy about the effort and the will to help ileven if the outcome isn't the same. Theory 2 which is related: A reliance on rules, scripts patterns and rituals to navigate the world makes uncontrollable deviations from these highly unpleasant, and empathy suggests that things you find unpleasant are probably unpleasant for others too. This is compounded by the way people react negatively to atypical social reactions (this looks a lot like you have broken someone's social interaction script and they are unhappy) This then loops into itself and causes recursive problems; if you are forced off script you have atypical social interactions (I don't have enough money for this, can I go home and get more) Vs the normal interactions the chaser has. This means you can perceive yourself as propagating your troubles to everyone else. E.g. if you bring home the wrong fish will your parents still be able to cook dinner or will they have to *gasp* improvise on the recipe. By contrast NT people can see that the cashier experiencing unusual circumstances isn't a problem, they don't care and are just happy that the weird customer isn't demanding to speak to the manager because something was out of stock. All of this means that NT people have a reduced (and more accurate) perception of the stakes involved and therefore less stress and less need to over-plan.