Autism

A Unique Sensory, Emotional, and Social Development

Social Referencing

    A part of the social deficiency with autistic children is that the way they perceive sensory input is not like the rest of us do. So, our responses to stimuli are not a useful guide for them to imitate.

Most children learn most things through social referencing. They see how others respond to stimuli, and they respond the same way.

This is fine, because most children feel about the same way as adults do about most things. But how about if a child likes very hot sensations, rough textures, the smell of putrid things, etc.? The autistic child can not benefit from our reactions to these things in order to learn. Indeed, that child's sensations are in conflict with the world. So, the child quickly learns to dismiss other people's responses to stimuli.

Social referencing simply distances the autistic child from the social environment more as the child sees that others react "strangely" to stimuli. In other words, the autistic child learns quickly that he or she has little to learn from others.