This is one of a series of discussion posts based on questions from the AQ-10 autism test.

2. When I’m reading a story, I find it difficult to work out the characters’ intentions.

  • 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.

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  • Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    3·
    8 months ago

    Anyway, characters in stories tend to be pretty explicit in their intentions.

    The overall story arc might be explicit, but I tend to trip up on the smaller interactions. Frodo might want to destroy the ring, but in one of the books when he’s talking to Sam and Gollum, I might struggle to tell what he’s feeling, unless it’s explicitly spelled out. I might think that they’re having a normal conversation, until one of them slams a pot down and shouts at the others*, then I realise that they’re angry, and have been for the whole conversation.

    I find that I miss their intentions in smaller things like this, rather than the intention for the main plot.

    *I’m not sure if that actually happens, I haven’t read the books for a while.