Oh, also the sign language thing, yes! I used to not speak for the first few hours of the day and just gesture to people. A lot of what they thought was important to say was really unnecessary.
Thanks for making these videos. I relate to everything you said. I think the automatic responses are part of masking, because they are calculated to be socially appropriate. I find that they are often not quite truthful though, and since lying can cause unexpected problems after the fact, I have been trying to learn to suppress them and allow myself to violate social expectations to the extent necessary to produce a truthful response. I learned what still feels like a cheat code to me--that I can just say I don't know, or that I'll have to think about it.
that’s a very good point about lying to be socially appropriate. i prefer to communicate nonverbally if possible, so shrugging is my go to answer, although i’ve been told that some people are very confused by my constantly seeming to not have an opinion on things. i don’t mind being though of as confusing though. When i was a teenager, i used to make a game out of confusing people as much as possible.
I did actually invent my own language as a child. I still use the writing system sometimes, but with english. There are also some logic based languages invented by other people (Ithkuil is a very interesting example I think, I'd like to learn that one day). Although all languages I've found thus far are purely speech based, and I'd think that a language created with the purpose of accomodating Autistic people would be more of a sign, speech hybrid. (Which some scientists believe is actually how languages evolved before most became largely reliant on speech)
@@jontje5537 Awesome, how do you classify the constructed language that you invented as a child. I've never heard Ithkuil before, by the way, its writing system looks a bit similar to Klingon. Loglan and Lojban are logic based languages. Lojban's grammar is context free, which means it can be easily parsed by computers. Also Blissymbolics is probably a none speech based language, and it has applications in special education areas (as a nonverbal communication system). Another example is Isotype, although I'm not sure whether it can be considered as a language. Agree, sign language is great alternative to verbal communication for autistic people, and probably some ideogram(especially pictogram) based communication systems with text to speech(TTS) programs(preferably running on tablet computers) that translates the ideogram into equivalent natural languages (speeches)
I haven’t looked at my notes for ‘my’ language in a while, but I remember it had roughly spanish based phonology, and it probably had more or less germanic grammar etc. Although I remember that for some reason it was possible to compare nouns as well as adjectives, though I can’t remember what I used it for. It was mostly playing around with sounds, since that’s what I was interested in. The Ithkuil script has in part been inspired by Klingon script I think. What I like about the language is that next to being logic based, another one of it’s aims is to be quite minimal as well, so very detailed things can be expressed very short. I haven’t heard of Blissymbolics, but my first choice for a sign language to learn would probably be either BSL or the one signed in my country (which is a variant of ASL). I think if there was a specific Autism accomodation language it would have to be a hybrid of multiple forms, because skills vary so much. Some Autistics communicate with pictogramms, but I for example have difficulties interpreting static images. I can understand better with sound or movement and I can express myself best with movement. So it would have to include translatable options for everyone, and be scalable in terms of amount and specificness of information conveyed. I’m actually currently planning a video on whether and to what degree language could accomodate Autism.
@@jontje5537 The possibility of comparing nouns reminds me the similar feature of comparing objects in some programming languages. The hybrid of multiple forms of autism accommodation language could be interpreted into an unambiguous semantic representation, and programs automate the interchange between the different encode systems(multiple forms of autism accommodation language) and the semantic representation. Moreover, the semantic representation can be understood and expressed by part of the non-verbal autistic people who can't use alphabet based encoding system. It's necessary to have Indicators that define level of concreteness of an expression. The indicators should identify whether a noun is about a classification or a specific object, whether a description of a happening is regarding a general scenario or a specific incident, etc.. I'm looking forward to the video on whether and to what degree language could accommodate Autism
Your comment about the programming languages made me think of something. What if comparability was used to indicate specificness, maybe even in verbs and nouns. If, for the sake of simplicity we assume english grammar and add that feature on, the positive could mark something roughly like the object (it contrary to english would be marked by an affix as well) the comparative would describe something fairly close to it, and the superlative the exact object. For example the word chair, which would become chair-affix chair-er chair-est, chair-est would probably be something which closesly resembles the pictographic representation in the language. chair-er would be a more general chair like object, a desk chair etc, chair-affix could refer to something like a chair, as in a rock that is formed in such a way that it could be used as a place to sit on. If there is a programmed translation, the individual used should be able to decide what should be translated and what not. There are some languages that have systems for conveying whether information was personally witnessed or whether it was just heard or is assumed to have taken place, so it would be important to look at how that is achieved for specivicness as well. Also how could affixation work in the pictographic representation? Maybe as a symbol that can be pointed to either simultaneously or after or between words? Or could this be done by redublication? (pointing to the same picture multiple times) Redublication might be a good idea in general since, at least from my personal experience, it might be easier to initiate the same sequence twice than to have to have to retrieve two different sequences and order them accordingly. Could there also be a way to demarcate non-communicative utterances, such as echolalia etc.?
Hey Jontje. I completely understand the difficultly with writing. It's a monumental barricade and has continued to be a huge struggle of mine while at university. It is quite interesting to note how differently one can perceive the act of writing from that of speaking. I wonder how the two may differ neurologically. Have you found any particular strategies that have helped you in your writing endeavors? Also, I just wanted to say thank you for hosting your channel. I've watched a number of your other videos over the last day and I really resonate with your experiences and what you have to say. It's reassuring to know that their are others out there, and it's helpful for me to hear other peoples insights and explanations of how their minds work as to lend myself different frameworks in which to view my own mental landscape and its associated quirks. I don't know your plans for the channel, but have you considered making any videos on linguistics? It's a fascinating field that many people don't know all that much about. I think videos on those topics would be well received, particularly since you seem to have a passion for linguistics. You had said that you're studying to be a linguist. What is it about linguistics specifically that caught your interest? Are their any unanswered questions or ill-explored areas of linguistics that you've enjoyed pondering or learning about? Is your goal to be a researcher? Hope all is well in your pocket of reality.
I do think masking in writing is a thing. And it can be different to masking in other areas. But writing, (especially writing with phonology based writing systems) is slightly more complex than speaking, because it requires extra steps (translating phonology ie pronounciation into the written equivalent). Plus it requires different fine motor skills and visual processing (both of which I personally definitely do not excell in). When I‘m writing I often get sidetracked by imagining what I am going to write, but then failing to write anything, and I end up thinking about the middle of the text I‘m about to write without having started it. (As of writing this, I‘ve already though of four different answers to your comment...). But what helps me most currently with writing is the awareness that I‘m masking in writing (and consciously trying not to). I try to use the words that come into my mind, even if they‘re not the right register. If it‘s very odd and for a more important thing (like academic writing etc.) I can still change it later... I‘m glad if my videos have helped you in some way! I have planned to do some videos on linguistics, but I‘d want them to have proper sources etc. so they require a bit more effort to make, which means I need a lot more time to make them... As a child, when I learned languages, I never really cared about grammar or anything like that, I just learned how to pronounce the words, because that‘s what I was fascinated with (and still am). I‘d listen to movies I knew (once DVD‘s were a thing) in languages I didn‘t because the different sounds were interesting (which incidentally is how I learned english). Phonology is still my favourite part of linguistics. Then back in my creative writing days, I read a book about a theory of how humans might have developed language, which is how linguistics became my SpIn and I decided I wanted to study it. Sign Language Linguistics is an area that still requires a lot of research and that I think is really interesting, and also I‘d like to be able to research language use (sign or spoken) of Autistic people, since that‘s obviously of interest for me. All is well and that is a wonderful expression!
In part, but I have also studied creative writing, so I have a lot of training in finding analogies, which is probably impacting my expression. It is easier for me though to acces words that are more generally used, which usually makes expressing analogies easier than what I actually mean.
@@jontje5537 I appreciate your explanation of it. I felt as though a lot of what you expressed in this video resonated with me but I had never really been able to get it out myself. I am really grateful that you decided to make youtube videos and hope you continue to share your story more. It gives me comfort knowing and hope; seeing that others are doing so well going through the same experiences I am 🥰
To be honest your video style is very simplistic, no editing and shows who you are, which is really refreshing! Gonna binge watch your channel now..
Oh, also the sign language thing, yes! I used to not speak for the first few hours of the day and just gesture to people. A lot of what they thought was important to say was really unnecessary.
Thanks for making these videos. I relate to everything you said. I think the automatic responses are part of masking, because they are calculated to be socially appropriate. I find that they are often not quite truthful though, and since lying can cause unexpected problems after the fact, I have been trying to learn to suppress them and allow myself to violate social expectations to the extent necessary to produce a truthful response. I learned what still feels like a cheat code to me--that I can just say I don't know, or that I'll have to think about it.
that’s a very good point about lying to be socially appropriate.
i prefer to communicate nonverbally if possible, so shrugging is my go to answer, although i’ve been told that some people are very confused by my constantly seeming to not have an opinion on things. i don’t mind being though of as confusing though. When i was a teenager, i used to make a game out of confusing people as much as possible.
I struggle with this too. I usually keep my mouth shut because I don’t like to talk
I love this shirt.
You probably may construct your own language by which you can express yourself freely
I did actually invent my own language as a child. I still use the writing system sometimes, but with english.
There are also some logic based languages invented by other people (Ithkuil is a very interesting example I think, I'd like to learn that one day). Although all languages I've found thus far are purely speech based, and I'd think that a language created with the purpose of accomodating Autistic people would be more of a sign, speech hybrid. (Which some scientists believe is actually how languages evolved before most became largely reliant on speech)
@@jontje5537 Awesome, how do you classify the constructed language that you invented as a child.
I've never heard Ithkuil before, by the way, its writing system looks a bit similar to Klingon.
Loglan and Lojban are logic based languages. Lojban's grammar is context free, which means it can be easily parsed by computers.
Also Blissymbolics is probably a none speech based language, and it has applications in special education areas (as a nonverbal communication system).
Another example is Isotype, although I'm not sure whether it can be considered as a language.
Agree, sign language is great alternative to verbal communication for autistic people, and probably some ideogram(especially pictogram) based communication systems with text to speech(TTS) programs(preferably running on tablet computers) that translates the ideogram into equivalent natural languages (speeches)
I haven’t looked at my notes for ‘my’ language in a while, but I remember it had roughly spanish based phonology, and it probably had more or less germanic grammar etc. Although I remember that for some reason it was possible to compare nouns as well as adjectives, though I can’t remember what I used it for. It was mostly playing around with sounds, since that’s what I was interested in.
The Ithkuil script has in part been inspired by Klingon script I think. What I like about the language is that next to being logic based, another one of it’s aims is to be quite minimal as well, so very detailed things can be expressed very short.
I haven’t heard of Blissymbolics, but my first choice for a sign language to learn would probably be either BSL or the one signed in my country (which is a variant of ASL).
I think if there was a specific Autism accomodation language it would have to be a hybrid of multiple forms, because skills vary so much. Some Autistics communicate with pictogramms, but I for example have difficulties interpreting static images. I can understand better with sound or movement and I can express myself best with movement. So it would have to include translatable options for everyone, and be scalable in terms of amount and specificness of information conveyed.
I’m actually currently planning a video on whether and to what degree language could accomodate Autism.
@@jontje5537 The possibility of comparing nouns reminds me the similar feature of comparing objects in some programming languages.
The hybrid of multiple forms of autism accommodation language could be interpreted into an unambiguous semantic representation, and programs automate the interchange between the different encode systems(multiple forms of autism accommodation language) and the semantic representation. Moreover, the semantic representation can be understood and expressed by part of the non-verbal autistic people who can't use alphabet based encoding system.
It's necessary to have Indicators that define level of concreteness of an expression. The indicators should identify whether a noun is about a classification or a specific object, whether a description of a happening is regarding a general scenario or a specific incident, etc..
I'm looking forward to the video on whether and to what degree language could accommodate Autism
Your comment about the programming languages made me think of something. What if comparability was used to indicate specificness, maybe even in verbs and nouns. If, for the sake of simplicity we assume english grammar and add that feature on, the positive could mark something roughly like the object (it contrary to english would be marked by an affix as well) the comparative would describe something fairly close to it, and the superlative the exact object. For example the word chair, which would become chair-affix chair-er chair-est, chair-est would probably be something which closesly resembles the pictographic representation in the language. chair-er would be a more general chair like object, a desk chair etc, chair-affix could refer to something like a chair, as in a rock that is formed in such a way that it could be used as a place to sit on.
If there is a programmed translation, the individual used should be able to decide what should be translated and what not.
There are some languages that have systems for conveying whether information was personally witnessed or whether it was just heard or is assumed to have taken place, so it would be important to look at how that is achieved for specivicness as well.
Also how could affixation work in the pictographic representation? Maybe as a symbol that can be pointed to either simultaneously or after or between words? Or could this be done by redublication? (pointing to the same picture multiple times)
Redublication might be a good idea in general since, at least from my personal experience, it might be easier to initiate the same sequence twice than to have to have to retrieve two different sequences and order them accordingly.
Could there also be a way to demarcate non-communicative utterances, such as echolalia etc.?
Hey Jontje. I completely understand the difficultly with writing. It's a monumental barricade and has continued to be a huge struggle of mine while at university. It is quite interesting to note how differently one can perceive the act of writing from that of speaking. I wonder how the two may differ neurologically. Have you found any particular strategies that have helped you in your writing endeavors? Also, I just wanted to say thank you for hosting your channel. I've watched a number of your other videos over the last day and I really resonate with your experiences and what you have to say. It's reassuring to know that their are others out there, and it's helpful for me to hear other peoples insights and explanations of how their minds work as to lend myself different frameworks in which to view my own mental landscape and its associated quirks.
I don't know your plans for the channel, but have you considered making any videos on linguistics? It's a fascinating field that many people don't know all that much about. I think videos on those topics would be well received, particularly since you seem to have a passion for linguistics. You had said that you're studying to be a linguist. What is it about linguistics specifically that caught your interest? Are their any unanswered questions or ill-explored areas of linguistics that you've enjoyed pondering or learning about? Is your goal to be a researcher?
Hope all is well in your pocket of reality.
I do think masking in writing is a thing. And it can be different to masking in other areas. But writing, (especially writing with phonology based writing systems) is slightly more complex than speaking, because it requires extra steps (translating phonology ie pronounciation into the written equivalent). Plus it requires different fine motor skills and visual processing (both of which I personally definitely do not excell in).
When I‘m writing I often get sidetracked by imagining what I am going to write, but then failing to write anything, and I end up thinking about the middle of the text I‘m about to write without having started it. (As of writing this, I‘ve already though of four different answers to your comment...).
But what helps me most currently with writing is the awareness that I‘m masking in writing (and consciously trying not to). I try to use the words that come into my mind, even if they‘re not the right register. If it‘s very odd and for a more important thing (like academic writing etc.) I can still change it later...
I‘m glad if my videos have helped you in some way!
I have planned to do some videos on linguistics, but I‘d want them to have proper sources etc. so they require a bit more effort to make, which means I need a lot more time to make them...
As a child, when I learned languages, I never really cared about grammar or anything like that, I just learned how to pronounce the words, because that‘s what I was fascinated with (and still am). I‘d listen to movies I knew (once DVD‘s were a thing) in languages I didn‘t because the different sounds were interesting (which incidentally is how I learned english). Phonology is still my favourite part of linguistics. Then back in my creative writing days, I read a book about a theory of how humans might have developed language, which is how linguistics became my SpIn and I decided I wanted to study it.
Sign Language Linguistics is an area that still requires a lot of research and that I think is really interesting, and also I‘d like to be able to research language use (sign or spoken) of Autistic people, since that‘s obviously of interest for me.
All is well and that is a wonderful expression!
my head shape is very similar to you
Do you feel as though it is somewhat easier to explain/describe an analogy than to find the words to express yourself?
In part, but I have also studied creative writing, so I have a lot of training in finding analogies, which is probably impacting my expression. It is easier for me though to acces words that are more generally used, which usually makes expressing analogies easier than what I actually mean.
@@jontje5537 I appreciate your explanation of it.
I felt as though a lot of what you expressed in this video resonated with me but I had never really been able to get it out myself. I am really grateful that you decided to make youtube videos and hope you continue to share your story more. It gives me comfort knowing and hope; seeing that others are doing so well going through the same experiences I am 🥰