I came here after reading your responses to bethwheatcraft. I could appreciate both sides of your discussion and I think this article resonates with that.
Perception and understanding are huge issues.

Being the daughter of immigrants, I too was not as familiar with all the slang and even though my English was perfect (I was always at the top of my class and lost my accent very young, if I ever even had one) it took me until I was in my 20's to catch up with slang, and even pop culture. I watch a similar situation with one of my daughters who is highly intelligent, but on the spectrum with Sensory Processing issues. She tends to take many things literally and we often have to take time to explain what was really meant. While it's not my job to make sure everyone understands exactly what I mean, I find it helpful when reacting to someone or something, to try to take a breath and consider what the intention was, or whether my perception could be clouded either by my feelings or my experiences. It's a delicate balance, being true to oneself yet still being sensitive to the realities of others.

Thanks for an insightful post!