Table 1.

Reasonable adjustments to minimize miscommunication and misinterpretation or language challenges of individuals with ASD.

General Approach	Specific Strategies	Examples of What NOT TO DO	Examples of What TO DO
Be Mindful of Words
	Minimize use of legal jargon	Replace “unauthorized” and “discoverable”	Say “not allowed” and “able to be found”
	Use simple plain language	Replace “affirm” and “conduct”	Say “agree” and “what you did/behavior”
	Avoid multiple meaning words	Replace “You can bank on that.” or “You can count on that.”	Say “That will happen”
	Eliminate unnecessary words	Replace “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”	Say “What happened?”
	Minimize use of pronouns	Replace, “Did he hit it?”	Say, “Did Jason hit the car?”
Be Simple, Direct, and Concrete
	Use simple, one-step instructions	Replace “Put your hands up and turn around.”	Say “Put your hands up.” (insert pause/wait for hands to go up). “Turn around.”
	Avoid tag questions	Replace, “Maddy didn’t take the money, did she?”	Say, “Did Maddy take the money?”
	Be clear about what, when and where	Replace, “When and where did the incident happen?	Say, “What day did the robbery happen?” (wait for a response) Then ask, “Where did the robbery happen?”
Avoid Language that Requires Inferencing
	Avoid idioms that will be taken literally	Replace, “Are you pulling my leg?”	“Is that true?”
	Avoid use of humor, including sarcasm	Replace, “I bet you enjoyed losing your job.”	“Tell me about your job.” “What happened with your job?”
	Avoid questions which involve interpreting the intentions, feelings, thoughts, or perceptions of others	Replace, “Why didn’t Leo leave when he knocked on the door and nobody answered.”	“What happened after Leo knocked on the door?”
Take Steps to Ensure Comprehension (assume comprehension challenges)	When feasible, present information in oral and written format	Replace oral-only Miranda or Miranda equivalent rights	Present information in spoken and written form
	Present information at a slower pace	Replace presenting all rights at one time, at an average or fast rate	Pause for ~3 seconds between reading each Miranda right, slow down when speaking
	Ask comprehension questions	Replace no comprehension checks or comprehension checks only after a long series of information	Ask, “What questions do you have?”; and/or say, “Tell me what I said in your own words” after each item, such as each Miranda right