I was so thrilled when I was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. I love my work, and that was a real honor, but this is life-altering. Ochs studies how people communicate in natural settings. Families, she found, do not relate stories to amuse one another, but to make sense of events in their lives. Typically, the stories are unfinished.
Fathers are the exception.
They tend not to tell stories about themselves, and when they do, the perspective on events is usually already decided. More often, mothers and children tell stories, and fathers sit in judgment and often criticize the actions of family members. Children, for example, often offer solutions, are told that the ideas would not work, and eventually believe that their circumstances are hopeless. In current research, Ochs and Capps are studying how autistic children communicate in school and at home, and the extent to which they participate in storytelling. In future research, she is interested in hearing from children growing up in Los Angeles concerning their efforts to communicate and be understood in their homes, neighborhoods, schools and other community settings.