Autism and the Proficiency of Social Ineptitude: Probing the Rules of “Appropriate” Behavior

Abstract

Autistic people typically struggle to abide by social conventions: a constituent element of their social exclusion. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork within a group of autistic university students in England, I show that although participants would continuously work to uncover the underlying principles of social etiquette, they nevertheless remained unsuccessful in putting their acquired knowledge into practice. Consequently, they turned to subtly shaping their social environments in attempts to redefine the terms under which the appropriateness of their actions is evaluated. I conclude by suggesting that social ineptitude consists of contemplative craft and is a meaningful component of all social interaction.

‘A Smaller Mask’: Freedom and Authenticity in Autistic Space

“…Personal histories and idiosyncrasies, as well as structural constraints and mechanisms of social marginalisation, are thus often understated in such constructs. Also understated are the vigorous and creative endeavours of autistic people to shape the meaning of the label that has been ascribed to them (Baggs 2010 ; Belek 2018 , 2019a ; Milton 2012 ; Yergeau 2010 ). As the emergent product of a plethora of interrelated social and biological processes, autism is therefore fluid, dynamic, and unstable.…”

“…Because of this, lighting, sound, levelling and acoustics are experienced as significant features of any built environment, which can either afford them access or altogether deny it. Still another feature of society which autistic people experience as obstructive is its common expectation for conformity to social etiquette; namely those implicit and unconventionalised rules that autistic people often struggle to make sense of, or to which they are reluctant to adhere (Belek 2018 ; Schneid and Raz 2020 ). Expectations for conformity are not merely coercive but disabling given that failing to conform is likely to impede on one's chances of securing employment, accessing social services, or maintaining social relationships.…”

“…Certainly, all people engage in some form of performance in their daily lives. However, the necessity to perform according to values experienced as alien, alongside the often-dire implications of performing unsuccessfully, is accentuated among autistic people (Belek 2018 ). Because of this, a prevalent feeling of disjunction underlines many autistic people's experiences.…”

“…Finally, how do annual events such as Autscape shape—and are in turn shaped by—individual and collective notions of freedom and authenticity? What stands at the heart of this exploration is the question of how autistic people collectively work to cultivate an 'authentic' sense of self, especially as their social environments constantly encourage them to be otherwise (Bagatell 2007 ; Belek 2018 ; Schneid and Raz 2020 ).…”

Autism

“…As a result, they turn to shaping their social environments in an attempt to redefine the terms under which the appropriateness of their actions is evaluated. Failure to abide by etiquette should therefore be taken not as mere lack of success, but at least in part as deliberate action and contemplative craft (Belek 2018).…”