My new knowledge about my mental health

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My psychiatrist explained to me that I know how to read social cues, I just make a lot of mistakes at identifying social cues, due to my history of developmental delay related to Autism Spectrum Disorder.

That doesn't make sense to me

Can you explain what you meant?

It doesn't make sense to me that your psychiatrist says that you know how to read social cues but you make mistakes identifying them. That's like saying that you know how to read words but you make mistakes reading words.

Possibly, your psychiatrist is trying to be encouraging. You can do it, I know it is hard and you make mistakes, but that is normal for you???

That does make sense.

It can take a lot of pain and making mistakes, and we never really get good at it

You see someone smile, but instead of thinking "happy" or such, one instead thinks "angry". You see the behavior, but the interpretation is incorrect.



This is an issue for any learner. In languages for instance, if one knows hiragana, one might be able to read aloud a simple sentence in Japanese. But the reader may not have any idea what the words mean or the grammar that connects them. I can read aloud Spanish sentences, but I have nearly zero idea what any of it means.

It's possible to see a behavior, know it means something, but have no idea what that meaning is. The easiest example I can think of is toddlers. I can't make heads or tails of many things they do or say, but people who spend time around toddlers can. I see there's a behavior, but I don't know the meaning (& can't work it out).

That is what I meant to say, I am sorry that I wasn't clear.

I think the problem lies in the contradictions. They smile and say everything is fine and you should instinctively guess, that was a lie and just a social smile, i.e. a fake smile. And they get offended or make fun of you, when you don't understand their two meanings. I'm not slow-witted! I just like a clear language (between words and body) without misunderstandings, like I have with my two dogs.

So I find it difficult to understand, when the people say this and then act this way. It's just confusing and needlessly exhausting.
I'll never figure it out.

Exactly!

It could be that the therapist is saying you have the ability to read social cues—but that sometimes you don’t get it right.

Even NTs sometimes “don’t get it right.”

That makes sense.

I understand what you are saying now. Thank you for explaining.

I think that what your psychiatrist should say instead is that you can notice or see social cues but you don't know how to read them. That is actually very common in Autism.

That is what my psychiatrist meant to say, just wasn't that clear.