Appropriate and Inappropriate Conversations

At the Centre’s Pathways to Resilience conference in May 2019, Ros Blackburn spoke openly about her difficulties with Social Instinct, knowing when she was being spoken to, when to interject, what to share, what questions to ask and answer.

Kari Dunn Buron sees autism as specifically difficulties with social instinct and thus importance of social goal on Individual Education Plans. Ros Blackburn tells us, “I need people. In fact, I need people more than the average person, as I am not able to decode social signals and pick up on things myself and learn as I go along. I need to be shown, helped, supported or prompted every step of the way in virtually everything I do, but because I don’t have friends, I don’t have anyone at all to help me with this either.” Within and Without Autism (2000).