Sometimes people use special phrases called idioms to say things in a fun and different way. Idioms do not mean exactly what the words say. Instead, they have a meaning that people understand when they hear them. For example, if someone says “walk on eggshells,” they don’t mean real eggs they mean to be very careful.
For children with autism, language can sometimes feel tricky. Idioms can be hard to understand at first because they do not follow the usual meanings of words. But learning these idioms can help kids with autism join in more conversations and understand stories better. In this article, we will look at idioms that connect to feelings, actions, and ways people think some of which may be helpful for talking about autism. These phrases can make speaking and writing more interesting and clear.
Idioms for Autism
1. In your own world
Meaning: Thinking deeply or not paying attention to others
Give an Instance: Jason was in his own world, building Legos and didn’t hear his name. / She didn’t notice the bell because she was in her own world.
Substitute Meaning: Not paying attention / Focused inside
2. March to the beat of your own drum
Meaning: Do things in your own way
Give an Instance: Emily wears fun clothes and doesn’t care what others think she marches to her own drum. / He solves math problems his own way.
Substitute Meaning: Be yourself / Follow your own way
3. Lost in thought
Meaning: Thinking deeply and not noticing what’s around
Give an Instance: Sam was lost in thought, staring out the window. / I called her twice, but she was lost in thought.
Substitute Meaning: Daydreaming / Deep in thinking
4. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: Show your feelings easily
Give an Instance: He was sad and showed it he wears his heart on his sleeve. / She smiled all day her joy was clear.
Substitute Meaning: Show feelings / Easy to read
5. Stuck in a rut
Meaning: Doing the same thing over and over
Give an Instance: He eats the same cereal every morning he’s stuck in a rut. / She watches the same movie every weekend.
Substitute Meaning: Can’t change routine / Repeats a lot
6. Break out of your shell
Meaning: Start to talk or act more
Give an Instance: Jake used to be quiet, but now he talks a lot he broke out of his shell. / She finally joined the game.
Substitute Meaning: Be more open / Start joining in
7. Hard nut to crack
Meaning: A person who is hard to understand
Give an Instance: He’s quiet and keeps to himself a hard nut to crack. / She doesn’t talk much in class.
Substitute Meaning: Hard to get to know / Quiet person
8. Like clockwork
Meaning: Happens the same way every time
Give an Instance: He lines up his books like clockwork. / She brushes her teeth at 8 p.m. every night.
Substitute Meaning: Always the same / Very regular
9. On the same page
Meaning: Understanding things the same way as others
Give an Instance: The group talked until they were on the same page. / We need to be on the same page before we start.
Substitute Meaning: Understand together / Agree
10. Spill the beans
Meaning: Tell a secret
Give an Instance: She spilled the beans about the surprise party. / He told the answer too soon.
Substitute Meaning: Tell the secret / Let it out
11. Go with the flow
Meaning: Adjust and follow what’s happening
Give an Instance: He used to hate change, but now he goes with the flow. / We were late, but she didn’t worry.
Substitute Meaning: Stay calm / Be flexible
12. Cat got your tongue
Meaning: When someone is too quiet to talk
Give an Instance: The teacher asked him a question, but he was silent cat got your tongue? / She froze and didn’t say a word.
Substitute Meaning: Too shy to talk / No words
13. Keep to yourself
Meaning: Not share much or talk with others
Give an Instance: He likes to keep to himself during recess. / She reads quietly instead of joining groups.
Substitute Meaning: Stay alone / Not talk much
14. A creature of habit
Meaning: Someone who likes doing things the same way
Give an Instance: He always sits in the same chair he’s a creature of habit. / She only eats the same foods.
Substitute Meaning: Loves routine / Sticks to habits
15. See eye to eye
Meaning: Agree with someone
Give an Instance: We don’t see eye to eye on movies. / She sees eye to eye with her best friend on school rules.
Substitute Meaning: Agree / Think the same
16. Clam up
Meaning: Suddenly stop talking
Give an Instance: He clammed up when the teacher called on him. / She clams up in loud places.
Substitute Meaning: Get silent / Stop talking
17. A mile a minute
Meaning: Talking very fast
Give an Instance: She was so excited, she talked a mile a minute. / He speaks a mile a minute when he’s nervous.
Substitute Meaning: Talk very fast / Rapid talking
18. All ears
Meaning: Listening very carefully
Give an Instance: When she talked about trains, he was all ears. / I’m all ears tell me what happened!
Substitute Meaning: Really listening / Focused
19. Chicken out
Meaning: Get too scared to do something
Give an Instance: He wanted to present but chickened out. / She chickened out of the roller coaster.
Substitute Meaning: Backed out / Got too scared
20. On edge
Meaning: Feeling nervous or worried
Give an Instance: He was on edge before the fire drill. / She’s on edge during tests.
Substitute Meaning: Tense / Nervous
21. Go the extra mile
Meaning: Do more than expected
Give an Instance: He made a colorful chart he went the extra mile. / She helped everyone clean up.
Substitute Meaning: Try harder / Do more
22. Not my cup of tea
Meaning: Not something you like
Give an Instance: Loud games are not his cup of tea. / She said broccoli isn’t her cup of tea.
Substitute Meaning: Don’t like it / Not for me
23. Walk on eggshells
Meaning: Be extra careful not to upset someone
Give an Instance: He walks on eggshells when his sister is mad. / We walked on eggshells in the library.
Substitute Meaning: Be very careful / Avoid problems
24. Keep an eye on
Meaning: Watch closely
Give an Instance: He kept an eye on the clock. / She asked the teacher to keep an eye on her project.
Substitute Meaning: Watch / Pay attention
25. Get cold feet
Meaning: Get scared before doing something
Give an Instance: She got cold feet before the spelling bee. / He had cold feet about singing solo.
Substitute Meaning: Back out / Lose courage
26. Light up like a Christmas tree
Meaning: Show sudden joy
Give an Instance: He lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw his dog. / Her face lit up after the surprise.
Substitute Meaning: Very happy / Bright smile
27. All over the place
Meaning: Not focused
Give an Instance: His papers were all over the place. / She kept changing topics she was all over the place.
Substitute Meaning: Unorganized / Not steady
28. Head in the clouds
Meaning: Daydreaming or not paying attention
Give an Instance: He didn’t hear the question his head was in the clouds. / She walked slowly, head in the clouds.
Substitute Meaning: Dreaming / Not focused
29. At the drop of a hat
Meaning: Very quickly or suddenly
Give an Instance: He cries at the drop of a hat. / She laughs at the drop of a hat.
Substitute Meaning: Very fast / Right away
30. Bite your tongue
Meaning: Stop yourself from saying something
Give an Instance: He wanted to yell, but bit his tongue. / She bit her tongue to avoid hurting his feelings.
Substitute Meaning: Stay quiet / Hold back words
31. Calm before the storm
Meaning: A quiet moment before things get busy
Give an Instance: It was quiet before the fire drill the calm before the storm. / Lunch was peaceful, then recess got wild.
Substitute Meaning: Quiet time / Peace before action
32. In a fog
Meaning: Confused or not thinking clearly
Give an Instance: After the loud music, he felt in a fog. / She was in a fog after staying up late.
Substitute Meaning: Not clear / Mixed up
33. Get under someone’s skin
Meaning: Bother someone a lot
Give an Instance: Loud noises get under his skin. / Her humming got under my skin.
Substitute Meaning: Annoy / Irritate
34. Out of the blue
Meaning: Suddenly or without warning
Give an Instance: Out of the blue, he started dancing. / She screamed out of the blue.
Substitute Meaning: Unexpected / Suddenly
35. Stick out like a sore thumb
Meaning: Look very different
Give an Instance: He wore a suit to gym class he stuck out like a sore thumb. / Her bright shoes stuck out.
Substitute Meaning: Look odd / Not fit in
36. Cold shoulder
Meaning: Ignore someone
Give an Instance: He gave her the cold shoulder after their fight. / She felt sad when her friend gave her the cold shoulder.
Substitute Meaning: Ignore / Be distant
37. Jump out of your skin
Meaning: Get very scared
Give an Instance: He jumped out of his skin at the fire alarm. / I nearly jumped out of my skin when the balloon popped.
Substitute Meaning: Get scared / Big fright
38. Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: Say or do exactly the right thing
Give an Instance: He hit the nail on the head with his answer. / She said exactly what I was thinking.
Substitute Meaning: Got it right / Perfect guess
39. Not playing with a full deck
Meaning: Acting in a way that seems odd or different
Give an Instance: He talks to himself a lot some say he’s not playing with a full deck. / She giggles at random times.
Substitute Meaning: Acts differently / Not typical
40. Keep your cool
Meaning: Stay calm
Give an Instance: She kept her cool even when things got loud. / He stayed calm when the test started.
Substitute Meaning: Stay calm / Don’t panic
41. Like a broken record
Meaning: Say the same thing over and over
Give an Instance: He keeps asking the same question like a broken record. / She repeats her favorite word again and again.
Substitute Meaning: Repeats / Says again
42. Mind like a steel trap
Meaning: Remembers everything
Give an Instance: She has a mind like a steel trap she never forgets names. / He remembers every birthday.
Substitute Meaning: Great memory / Remembers fast
43. Read between the lines
Meaning: Understand something that’s not said directly
Give an Instance: He didn’t say he was sad, but I could read between the lines. / She said she was “fine,” but we knew she wasn’t.
Substitute Meaning: Understand deeper / Get the hint
44. A lot on your plate
Meaning: Having too many things to do
Give an Instance: He had homework, chores, and practice a lot on his plate. / She’s got a full plate today.
Substitute Meaning: Busy / Too much to do
45. On the same wavelength
Meaning: Think or feel the same way as someone else
Give an Instance: We were on the same wavelength during the project. / She and her sister always think alike.
Substitute Meaning: Think alike / Feel the same
Find the “Idioms for Autism”
Reading Passage
It was the day of the class play, and everyone was getting ready. Jesse stood by his desk, quiet and calm, while the rest of the room buzzed with noise. He liked to keep to himself and didn’t mind sitting alone. While others were talking a mile a minute, Jesse stayed in his own world, focusing on his lines.
Ms. Rivera came by and smiled. “You’ve been all ears during practice,” she said. Jesse nodded but didn’t say anything. He sometimes clammed up when people talked too fast. Even though the play was not his cup of tea, he had worked hard and stuck with it.
When it was time to go on stage, Jesse looked nervous. “You’ve got this,” whispered Ava. “Just keep your cool.” Jesse marched to the beat of his own drum and took his place. His part went like clockwork. The audience smiled as he hit the nail on the head with his final line.
Backstage, Ava said, “Wow, you really lit up like a Christmas tree out there!”
Jesse smiled, just a little. For him, that was a big step. He was slowly breaking out of his shell.
Directions
Read the story again. Underline or list all the idioms you can find.
Answer Key
- Keep to himself
- A mile a minute
- In his own world
- All ears
- Clammed up
- Not my cup of tea
- Keep your cool
- Marched to the beat of his own drum
- Like clockwork
- Hit the nail on the head
- Lit up like a Christmas tree
- Break out of his shell
Conclusion
Idioms help us explain thoughts and feelings in short, colorful ways. For kids with autism, some of these idioms may show how they feel or act in a fun and clear way. They help make talking and writing more interesting.
By learning idioms like “in your own world” or “march to the beat of your own drum,” we can understand others better and speak more clearly. Even if some idioms are new or tricky, they can still be learned one step at a time.
