Caption: When you ask an Autistic person to do something, make sure to attach a timeframe like “today,” “or at 3 PM,” (avoiding demanding words like “now”) and a definite personalization of who needs to do the thing that is being suggested. If one or both of these things is missing from your request, we will not see them as a request, but a passive statement, and it will not get done.
Image: 2 panels with an alien speaking to a person. One panel is labeled “incorrect” and the other “correct”.
Incorrect: The alien’s statement is written in a bubble shaped like an arrow. It points from the alien’s mouth to the person’s ear, stating, “The trash needs to be taken out.” There is another empty arrow pointing out of the person’s other ear.
Correct: The alien’s statement is written in a similar arrow, stating, “Please take the trash out in a minute.” The person responds, “Sure.” There is no other arrow pointing out of the person’s other ear.
My partner will ask me to do something. I will agree and since I’m usually doing something else at the time, I will continue to do that thing. Then 10 minutes later she gets huffy and does the thing. I’ve been trying to follow up her requests with “Now or when I’m finished?” but it depends how distracted I am whether or not I remember to ask.
Don’t ask that, just say “yes, when I’m finished here”, unless it’s something that obviously needs to be done right then like, “a wild bear just walked through our front door”, or less dramatic “can you deal with the spider in our shower please?”.