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Date:         Sat, 12 Sep 1992 19:38:00 +1000
              <AUTISM@SJUVM.BITNET>
From:         LNCJB@CC.NEWCASTLE.EDU.AU
Subject:      Re: Hungry flies .......

I'm surprised that not one of you seems to have found anything strange
about the analogy I used. What does 'as artistic as a fly in a bowl of
soup' mean even in the figurative sense? I've been wondering about that
ever since I uttered it. So I think that not only does Helen have
trouble understanding analogies at her young age, I also suspect that
when she becomes familiar with non-literal language to a point where she
is able to understand other people's analogies, she is (like me) not going
to be able to control herself in using them...... often inappropriately.
I get away with them these days because most people seem to regard me
reasonably high on the intellectual scale and therefore my language is
considered colourful and if they don't understand the analogies I use
they seem to think that the fault lies in them. This wasn't the case
when I was considered just a 'dumb, ordinary housewife' when the response
was usually "Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean!". Over the years,
I've got into the habit of immediately trying to mentally justify these
'slips of the tongue' just in case anyone asks me to explain it and I can
usually come up with some obscure abstract relationship between the two
things, but to be perfectly honest any explanation would be 'pure fudge'.

Therefore I agree with Ray when he says that I'll have to teach Helen the
non-literal use of language, so that she can understand other people's
speech, but I'm really going to have to try harder to control myself
and avoid all but the most cliched type of analogy...... and that for
me will be the most difficult part of it all.

According to Dr. Fenelon, a really low score on one or two portions of
the WISC is indicative of HFA and I have read that difficulty with
"Similarities" and mazes is also quite common but is it universal?
Perhaps a survey on the list might throw some light on this. Does
anyone have a HFA child that doesn't have difficulty understanding
figurative language? Since Jim and I appear to be 'different' in some
regards, I would really like to see a comment from him on this. If it
turns out that a large majority have similar problems to Helen, do you
think we might be able to start a list of the more usual analogies and
figurative terms used with definitions of their meaning to help us all?
(I did say all, but I think I really meant ME. :-))

Ray, you may just be a 'layman' but I agree with everything you wrote.
I think we do need a general term split into subgroups of the more
noticeable differences and for this purpose "Autism" is a good as any
..... at least it makes the authorities sit up and take notice - it has
acquired considerable 'language-power' over the years. Your comments
about 'reducing stress levels' is also very relevant...... they are
extremely common in my opinion - so much so, in fact, that if an 'autistic'
person claimed not to be affected unduly by stress, I would say that they
weren't autistic at all but suffering from one of the other developmental
disorders and had been misdiagnosed.

Carolyn
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