This is one of a series of discussion posts based on questions from the AQ-10 autism test.
7. I find it easy to work out what someone is thinking or feeling just by looking at their face.
- Definitely Agree
- Slightly Agree
- Slightly Disagree
- Definitely Disagree
Is this statement true for you? Can you think of any examples? Is it an easy or difficult question for you to answer?
You can take the full AQ-10 test here. Note this test is intended as a quick screener, and cannot diagnose or rule out any condition on its own.
I’m not too bad at reading emotion on people’s faces in photos/videos, but I don’t spend a lot of time looking at people’s faces when I talk to them in person. I’m aware that things like microexpressions exist, but you need to be watching a person’s face to catch them. I wonder why I’ve never seen this consideration discussed in relation to autism.
“Hey, are you not looking at people’s faces when you talk to them? Is your attention split by thinking about the correct amount of eye contact that you should be making? You might be missing a bunch of subtle information that is expressed through facial expressions during conversations!” Groundbreaking research!!
I don’t think I like this question. Especially the inclusion of knowing what someone is thinking. Knowing what someone is thinking would require an awful lot of context and familiarity with a person to the extent that everyone should be answering no.