The 6 second rule for autism is a communication strategy that involves waiting around 6 seconds after you speak to allow the person with autism to have enough time to process the information before you repeat it or rephrase it.
The pause after you speak using the 6 second rule for autism gives the autistic person's brain a chance to catch up, which can help to reduce pressure as well as frustration, especially for autistic people that experience sensory overload or processing differences.
The 6 second rule for autism is also a good way to prevent immediate and instinctive reactions, instead and encourage more considered responses.
To use the 6 second rule in autism.
Provide a pause, and when you ask the person with autism a question, or give the person with autism an instruction, give the person with autism at least a 6 second pause to allow them to formulate their answer or complete a task.
Avoid interrupting them and do not immediately ask the autistic person a follow up question or move to the next topic during the pause.
And if the autistic person does not respond, you can then repeat the information if necessary using the exact same words.
The reason that the 6 second rule for autism is helpful is because people with autism may process multiple streams of information at once, like verbal communication, environmental sounds and facial expression, which can also require more effort and time to process.
The 6 second pause for autism people gives the autistic person space to filter and integrate the information.