Five Ways Being Autistic Can Make Us Better Language Learners
Embracing our neurodivergence can be the key to fluency
Being autistic is almost always pathologized and denigrated, as if it’s a horrific disorder that nothing good can come of, but autism is more than just meltdowns and burnouts and social awkwardness.
Being autistic comes with plenty of advantages too. Just like allistics, we have strengths and weaknesses that, while they give us deficits in some areas, can give us advantages in others.
Language learning is one of those areas where being autistic can be a help rather than a hindrance. Let’s look at a few reasons why.
Mimicry
Mimicry is a common talent in autistic people, especially as it relates to camouflaging our autistic traits. A huge part of autistic masking is learning to imitate others, and most of the time, we do so unconsciously.
Many of us end up mirroring “normie” traits by watching TV or reading books and building our behavioral repertoire based on how our favorite characters — or ones who share our racial, economic, and gender demographics — act.
I did this not only with TV and books but with music as well. As a professional singer, I learned to imitate other singers from the time I…
