Autistic Woman Appears to Understand Satire
An autistic woman recently gave the appearance of understanding satire and even of laughing at it, according to researchers at Normal University’s Abnormal Behavior With Autism Department.
The study, which appears in the April issue of Behavioral Disorders and Their Discontents, tracked an autistic woman’s blog use for thirty days. Researchers found evidence that the woman could convincingly fake an understanding of the difference between satire and serious writing – and even make comments that could pass in normal conversation as laughter.
“The blog and its comments contained several instances of the use of ordinary human vernacular such as ‘lol,’ ‘jk,’ and ‘XD’,” said a spokesperson for the research team. “If the blog is in fact run by an autistic person, this is someone who has mastered the appearance of normalcy to an unprecedented degree.”
Researchers are now attempting to locate the blog’s author. Meanwhile, local schools have begun training new teachers and psychologists to catch subtle signs of faking an understanding of sarcasm, satire, and humor, so that high-faking autistic people are not accidentally permitted into regular contact with the general public.
