Individuals with AS process information **one channel at a time**. If they are listening to someone, they probably won't look at them. NTs integrate multiple channels simultaneously (watching, listening, monitoring emotions, reading body language). This single-channel processing is a practical manifestation of weak central coherence: - **Listening + eye contact**: Doing both at once overloads the system. Looking away while listening is not rudeness — it's resource allocation. - **Multitasking**: AS individuals struggle to process visual, auditory, and emotional input simultaneously. Each channel must be accessed sequentially. - **Missed social cues**: If a person with AS is focused on the words being said, they may miss tone, expression, and body language entirely — not because they're ignoring it, but because they can only process one channel. NTs integrate effortlessly and may interpret the lack of eye contact or missed emotional cues as disinterest or dishonesty. Understanding single-channel processing reframes these behaviors as neurological constraints, not character flaws. **Source:** Lovett, *Solutions for Adults with Asperger Syndrome*, Ch 3 (pp75, 81) See also: [[Central Coherence Weak vs Strong]], [[AS-NT Cross-Cultural Communication]]