The other day I was watching a rerun of the season of America's Next Top Model where one of the contestants had Aspergers. It was interesting to see how the other women in the house became so impatient with her and she just could not understand why. At one point they were all packing their suitcases and someone said to her "Heather if you stood up for one second I could get my suitcase by you." The girl just sort of nodded and kept right on packing while the other girls all exchanged exasperated looks. Finally someone said "Heather can you stand up for one minute." I thought to myself -Bingo! Perfect example of literal thinking and the need for direct requests. The first statement was simply an observation but the second was a request with which she immediately complied. Seen as the same thing in "typical" conversation but 2 totally different messages to this young woman. If someone - teacher or peer - doesn't understand this basic concept your literal thinker is likely to be labeled rude or uncooperative or inappropriate even if that is not their intent.
