Social settings can be a nightmare for people with autism. I had this reinforced for me recently during an afternoon with my son in an 'unfamiliar social setting'. There were times when he literally stopped in total confusion over what was going on around him.
Words, gestures and looks can be totally overwhelming. Thankfully there was the opportunity to pull him aside and try to explain some of the goings on - and we survived the afternoon without a meltdown.
Understanding language from a literal sense also impacts on the ability to cope and stay on top of things in social settings (more on this here http://www.managingautism.com). It is often worth stopping and thinking about the language and gestures we use in our communication and considering the impact on the people in our lives who have autism.
Great communication
Great communication practice! This website is a great outlet for people with autism, or without autism. It is very entertaining and a portion of the subscriptions is donated to the research and treatment of autism.
http://www.fakebuddy.com