Thin Slices of Autism

Starbucks has been in the news lately for reasons that seemingly have nothing to do with autism.  Months ago, two Black men were arrested at a Starbucks in Philadelphia.  Their offense?  Asking to use the bathroom, waiting for their business partner, and not buying anything.  Starbucks’ employees at this establishment made a quick, unverified judgement about black men, a judgement that was years in the making.  To supposedly rectify bias of this nature, corporate has committed itself to monthly training for employees, and managers in particular.  How to evaluate whether this training works is a whole different issue.

I wonder what Starbucks’ employees assume about people with autism when they set their eyes on them for a split second.  My guess is that for many, bias creeps into their thoughts.  Recently, scientists studied the “thin-slice judgements” that people in general make about autistic people.

Thin-slice judgements are assumptions about an individual’s abilities based on a single characteristic of autism.  In an interview, a parent of a daughter on the spectrum says he’s often asked, “What do you mean she is autistic?  She doesn’t seem to act autistic?”  You’ve got to wonder what trait people single out that defines autism in their eyes.  Maybe it has something to do with autistic people’s demeanor, social skills, personality, or perhaps their speech.

This study found that for young and old alike, thin-slice judgements occur within seconds and are strongly resistant to change.  For instance, researchers found that when body-language of individuals with ASD are construed to be awkward or odd, such as facial expressions or body posture, the chances for meaningful social interaction or social interaction period to occur go down the drain.  Similarly, when near instantaneous negative judgements are made of black men, such as the assumption they’re up to no good, avoidance or discrimination is often the result.

If you relied on first impressions of my son Jimmy, you’d probably assume he’s uninteresting, unimaginative, and incapable of carrying on an intelligent conversation.  You might jump to the conclusion that the two of you share nothing in common.  And you might think he’s withdrawn and could care less about meeting you.  But if you took the time and made the effort to get to know him, you’d discover a middle-aged man who’s nothing like what you imagined.

Bits and pieces of information don’t tell us nearly enough, about anyone.  Trying to make sense of what took place at Starbucks, one of the arrested black men commented, “This is not a ‘black people’ thing, it’s a people thing.”

Please note: I am currently writing a book about my entire family and how we have grown over the years, in large part because of Jimmy.  My son Jimmy is a middle-aged adult on the autism spectrum.  The voices and perspectives of my son, my two daughters and wife as well as friends and professionals are included throughout.  It’s a real, uplifting, and remarkable story; one which I have wanted to share for a long time.  The book will be published later this summer.

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