Chapter 2: Body Language People, like books, can be easy to read – not true! For non-autistic people, posture, hand gestures, and facial expressions all add to the tone of a conversation and are used to emphasise or convey what they mean - even when their words don’t. Crossed arms can indicate anger or annoyance, exaggerated hand movements can be used to add passion and emphasis. For non-autistic people body language is an important part of the conversation, which means they expect it to be mirrored back to them when they’re talking. For many autistic people their body language does not mirror their words or reflect their emotions. The thoughtful way in which many autistic people consider their words means there is little, if any, need for their listener to read between the lines or interpret their body language. Instead, listen to what they have to say, hear their words and try not to focus on their body language.
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