Send message to Author

Paper short abstract

This presentation examines how literal mind shapes autistic women’s communication during perinatal care in Lithuanian clinical contexts. Qualitative data shows that metaphorical language, implicit social norms, and instructions can increase anxiety, misinterpretation, and obstetric complications.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines how literal thinking shapes autistic women’s communicative experiences during pregnancy and childbirth in Lithuanian clinical settings. Drawing on qualitative data, it demonstrates that linguistic metaphors, implicit social rules, and ambiguously articulated medical instructions generate significant anxiety, insecurity, and miscommunication in perinatal care.

Analysis of participants’ narratives shows how embodied neurodivergence intersects with power, credibility, and responsibility in perinatal care. Autistic women experience ongoing pressure to appear “understanding,” “compliant,” and capable of “correctly” interpreting medical discourse, while deviations are often moralized and individualized. Metaphorical language and unarticulated social norms not only hinder communication but also directly contribute to obstetric complications.

The research contributes to interdisciplinary debates in medical anthropology, disability studies, and the sociology of health by positioning communication as a critical site of vulnerability in perinatal medicine. It highlights the importance of neuroaffirmative obstetric care that acknowledges neurodivergent ways of understanding, prioritizes explicit and concrete communication, and shifts the responsibility for clarity from patients to healthcare institutions. By centering autistic women’s experiences, the research underscores the ethical and practical necessity of adapting clinical practices to support diverse communicative and cognitive styles in maternity care.