Monotone – Reasons for the Autistic Tone of Voice

Most people who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with communication. It’s not just that they feel anxious in social settings or have trouble with social interactions, though those are certainly common challenges as well.

Instead, people on the autism spectrum often struggle with the nuances of communication — even if they don’t have any speech delays and have large vocabularies. Many people with autism are very intelligent and can understand complex subjects and topics.

At the same time, they quite often think and communicate in literal ways. They might not be able to accurately interpret non-verbal cues such as body language, and they might have trouble understanding other important parts of speech such as tempo, rhythm, pitch and loudness — all of which convey certain meanings.

The changes in how someone talks are referred to as “prosody¹.” People on the autism spectrum typically struggle with this, which makes it more difficult for them to understand the true meaning of what people are saying.

In addition, it might result in them speaking in a monotone voice themselves, which often can convey an inaccurate message to others.

We’ll describe prosody in more detail below, and how it often results in people with autism speaking in a monotone voice.

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What is Prosody?

There are many tools that are very important to communication other than just the words that someone speaks. As mentioned, this could be body language, tone of voice, eye contact and more.

If people aren’t able to properly interpret these non-verbal cues, it can lead to frequent misunderstandings and breakdowns in communication.

For instance, the word “really” said in different ways can mean completely different things.

If spoken with a low tone and dragged out, it could convey that someone doesn’t believe what you are saying. If spoken quickly and with a high tone, by contrast, it could convey that someone is shocked by what you’re saying.

The same single word was said in both cases but had a completely different meaning, simply because the prosody was changed.

Why Do People with Autism Struggle with Prosody?

People on the autism spectrum communicate in very literal ways. They say only what they mean, and they often say everything in the same way.

Because of this, they usually struggle understanding what other people are trying to say if they’re communicating in any way other than literally. One common example is that people with ASD usually have difficulties understanding sarcasm.

They simply can’t quite grasp the nuances of communication that are necessary to understand the sarcasm — such as a wink of the eye, a tap with the elbow, a facial expression or a tone of voice. As a result, they misinterpret the sarcasm as the person being serious, which causes major gaps in communication.

In terms of their own spoken language, the inability of people with autism to properly use prosody often results in them speaking “flatly,” or in a monotone voice. Unfortunately, this can create even more boundaries and gaps in communication.

Other people may interpret this monotone voice as the person with autism not being interested in the conversation. Or, others may think that the person with ASD may lack emotion, humor and/or intelligence.

The shame of it all is that people on the autism spectrum are usually very emotionally sensitive. Many do a great job of expressing themselves through interests they have such as art and music, and many also have a great sense of humor.

However, if they speak in a monotone voice, and don’t verbally express themselves well, other people could easily misinterpret what they’re trying to say.

Can People with Autism Understand Prosody Better?

There are, fortunately, ways in which a person with autism can build their ability to better understand prosody. Music therapy can certainly help in understanding pitch and rhythm, and speech therapy can help expand their conversational skills.

But, the gold standard of treatment for people with autism is applied behavioral analysis — no matter what the person struggles the most with.

ABA therapy, as it’s also referred to, is a science- and evidence-based approach to learning and behavior that helps people with autism improve the communication, social interaction and daily life skills with which they often struggle.

Using positive reinforcement and repetition, ABA therapists help their patients build these skills over time so they can live much more happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.

Blue Gems ABA Helps Children with ASD Build Communication Skills

Many people with autism speak in a monotone voice because they have a tough time interpreting the nuances of communication such as prosody. This can often lead to other people misinterpreting what they are trying to say, which widens the communication gap that might already exist.

At Blue Gems ABA, our team of experienced BCBAs work one-on-one with patients, administering ABA therapy to help them improve their understanding of non-verbal communication. We create personalized treatment plans that are tailored specifically to each child’s unique strengths and challenges, thereby helping them improve more effectively.

To learn more, please contact us today.

References

1. https://www.britannica.com/art/prosody