When you talk to a child as an adult, you unconsciously change the way you speak. It is often thought that such adjustments are more difficult for autistic people, but new research shows that this group is initially just as good at it as their non-autistic peers. However, while neurotypical participants gradually adjust these changes during a conversation based on new signals, autistic participants stick to their initial assessment. Researchers at Radboud University published their findings this month in Autism.
Participants in the study were asked to play an online game in which they had to communicate the location of a hidden target to their fellow player by means of movements on a game board. The participants were alternately told that they were playing the game with a child or an adult, but in reality they were always playing with the same person.
“Both autistic and non-autistic [also known as 'neurotypical’] participants placed extra emphasis on their movements at the beginning and played the game slightly slower and calmer when they thought they were communicating with a child,” explains Saskia Koch, neuroscientist at Radboud University and one of the authors. Gradually, the neurotypical participants let go of that emphasis when they realised that the ‘child’ and the ‘adult’ opponent were equally skilled. But the autistic participants stuck to their initial assumption and continued to adapt as if they were playing with a child.
Koch: “Not because they didn't want to adapt, but because they didn't pick up on the subtle social cues that the other player was equally capable. For example, when an explicit cue appeared, such as an error message on the screen, both groups were equally sensitive to it. The autistic participants also immediately adjusted their behaviour when they heard explicitly that something was not working. This shows that they take the interaction seriously and that they want the interaction to run smoothly.”
It is striking that all players seem to adjust their behaviour completely unconsciously. Koch: “We asked participants in a questionnaire afterwards whether they had adjusted their behaviour for children, but almost all of them denied this. People are not aware that they place more emphasis on their communication when interacting with a child. But their movements show that they do, however subtle.”
The study showed that neurotypical participants who spent more hours in childcare as children were better at letting go of assumptions during the game. This correlation was not found among autistic participants. “That doesn't mean that childcare is of no use to autistic children, but it does suggest that they benefit less obviously from the social stimuli that are so formative for other children,” Koch explains.
According to the researcher, it is important to nuance certain persistent ideas about autism. “It is sometimes thought that autistic people are less motivated to engage in social interactions. Our results show that they also take that first step and also want the other person to understand them. The difference lies in processing subtle, implicit signals that arise during an interaction.”
Autism
Observational study
People
Partner-dependent communication without dynamic adaptation in autism
31-Jan-2026