Sheepish Mix-Up
A staff member of a camp for youngsters with autism shares a story that illustrates the communication mix-ups that arise when individuals interpret language literally. Many of our friends with autism view the world in exact, non-symbolic terms, making it difficult to decode figurative or metaphorical language. The camping group played a game called “Has Anyone Seen My Sheep?” that proved to be frustrating to many of the campers who took the words of the game quite literally.
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The group begins the game by sitting on the ground in a large circle and selecting one person to be “It.” The game progresses much like the old playground favorite “Duck, Duck, Goose.” In the sheep game, the leader begins walking slowly around the circle, and says, “Has anyone seen my sheep?” The whole group replies in unison, “No, what does he look like?” Then the leader secretly selects a person sitting in the circle and give subtle clues as to the person’s identity. For example, the leader might say, “My sheep is wearing green shorts….and my sheep has blue flip-flops.” The leader keeps walking around the circle and gives more clues, such as “my sheep is wearing a headband.” As soon as the targeted sheep recognizes that the leader is describing them, they stand up and chase the leader around the circle in an attempt to tag him before he reaches the empty spot in the circle. If the sheep tags the leader, then the leader tries again. If the sheep does not tag the leader, the sheep becomes the leader and the game begins again.
This game proved frustrating for many of the campers with autism, not because they were not smart enough to understand the rules, but because they took the language literally. For example, when “Robbie” was selected leader, he walked around the circle and said, “Has anyone seen my sheep?” The whole group answered, “No, what does he look like?” Then Robbie responded by saying, “My sheep has black ears…and my sheep has a black nose…and my sheep has a short black tail.” At this point, the camp counselors were puzzled and actually a bit concerned about what Robbie was saying. But when he continued his description by saying, “My sheep has white wool,” the staff members realized that Robbie was describing an actual sheep!
This is just one illustration of the challenges that our friends with autism encounter in their day-to-day lives as a result of their literal interpretation of language.
NOTE TO LISTENERS AND READERS: I am Cathy Knoll, a board certified music therapist and long-time friend of many folks with autism. At FAQautism.com we are committed to providing free, practical, everyday tips for making life better for people with autism. You can click on a button to send me an email with your thoughts or challenging situations or innovative solutions. Check out our website for a wealth of ideas and a glimpse into the world of autism. www.FAQautism.com
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