Do females on the autism spectrum emulate other females?

[Bolletje]

Do we emulate more other females if we are incredibly insecure?

If I’m incredibly insecure in a social situation I somehow start presenting myself as more feminine and demure. My voice goes up an octave, the volume goes down a few notches, I slump a little, I avoid eye contact, I readily defer to others and I smile sweetly rather than talk.

When I’m comfortable I have a low and rather loud voice, I am very present in the room, my back is straight and my shoulders are squared. I make eye contact, I take charge and I am very firm in my opinions. I still smile a lot, but overall people call my general demeanor rather masculine and intimidating.

 

[Punchr0ck3r17]

Autistic females are said to emulate other females to learn how to act socially. They have been know to emulate singers, models, peers, television personalities, characters in books. Is this consistent with your own experiences as a female with autism?

It should also be noted that as @Ylva has suggested, neurotypical females emulate others as well.




The Experiences of Late-diagnosed Women with Autism Spectrum Conditions: An Investigation of the Female Autism Phenotype
'I was just so different': The experiences of women diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder in adulthood in relation to gender and social relati... - PubMed - NCBI

I like that you put some research into this post... It's interesting to dig into how women on the spectrum behave and why. As an adult woman with high functioning Autism (or Asperger's Syndrome - whichever you prefer), I recognize that and can even identify when I emulate other women for socially appropriate behavior. I remember as a child wishing that I could be "normal" and watching the girls in the television shows I watched very closely to glean some insight into what was an appropriate and hopefully cool way to interact with others in a social setting. Embarrassingly enough, I still do take mental notes when watching tv about how women interact with each other and will often try to imitate or emulate the way my closest friends behave in social settings to help me feel more like I fit in better in society as a whole. You've now peaked my curiosity... I'm going to go do some of my own digging to learn more about this topic. Thanks for the informative and interesting post!!

 

[Mia]

I still do take mental notes when watching tv about how women interact with each other and will often try to imitate or emulate the way my closest friends behave in social settings to help me feel more like I fit in better in society as a whole.

I still do the exact same thing. It's gotten to be a habit. Even in job interviews, I mimic a little bit the interviewer.

 

[Punchr0ck3r17]

I still do the exact same thing. It's gotten to be a habit. Even in job interviews, I mimic a little bit the interviewer.

Me too! I find it's easier to match the tone of the interview, for lack of a better way to put it, if I mimic the interviewer in tone of voice and sometimes even body language. Nice to know I'm not the only one.

 

[Ylva]

I still do take mental notes when watching tv about how women interact with each other and will often try to imitate or emulate the way my closest friends behave in social settings to help me feel more like I fit in better in society as a whole

Same. Learning never ends.

 

[Gracey]

I don't believe it's always necessary to have to make eye contact to gauge emotion in another.

I think emotions have their own scripts and intonation patterns.

Words like wonderful, delighted, joy are less likely to come out of the mouths of the sad and weary. The frustrated or stressed.

The exception to this would be sarcasm.

Speech patterns, rhythm, breath, intonation will be different for the different emotions too.

I've watched this happen. I've observed this in others, generally and over time.

I will often attempt to use the same sort of patterns.
less I come across as a block of wood or bored.

*- particularly with the baby living in my house. *

my 'resting-face' elicits a studious look from him. Others automatically receive a smile. I have to work for a smile.

 

[All-Rounder]

Same here. Direct eye contact triggers an amygdala response and feels threatening, like it would for a wild animal - because we don't have a social brain. Like two same poles of a magnet trying to meet, it feels really uncomfortable. Looking at faces without direct eye contact doesn't get this reaction - that is why I don't usually have a problem with video chats, because you see their face but don't make direct eye contact.

I read it as "video cats" and I was thinking to myself "yeah, that's true."

 

[Progster]

I read it as "video cats" and I was thinking to myself "yeah, that's true."

Indeed, chat = cat in French