Idioms and Autism Spectrum Disorders / Asperger’s Syndrome

The following is one Asperger’s Syndrome (Adult) learner’s response to common idioms: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” – Well, if they are chickens they’re already hatched.”Easy as Pie” – How easy is that?”I’m all ears” – Then what are you talking to me with?”He’ll get a taste of his own medicine” – Isn’t medicine supposed to be good for you?”You can’t have your cake and eat it too” – What kind of sick person would give you a cake, but not allow you to eat it?

These particular idioms are especially troublesome because literally they are illogical, which poses an extreme challenge to Asperger’s children and adults alike. Idioms are a challenging area of linguistics. There are literally hundreds of idiomatic phrases in the English language. Multilingual English learners have the most difficulty with them because they cannot be translated literally, and the smallest mistake in grammar or vocabulary changes the meanings of the phrase. Many first-language English speakers struggle with idioms as well; this is most evident in younger beginning readers. These younger children often make tremendous intuitive leaps interpreting figurative speech as their exposure to different expressions increases. These intuitive leaps may not be possible for the child with an autism spectrum disorder, and therefore, they need to learn these phrases by rote memory.