Autismo y pensamiento creativo

For many years, it was thought that people who had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were logical thinkers. Much of that has to do with the studies that were done on the subject in the 1990s.

Aligning with that thinking is the fact that many people who have autism act and communicate quite literally. They have challenges with certain aspects of communication, including non-verbal cues such as hand gestures and body language as well as other things such as sarcasm and tone of voice.

About 10 years ago, though, that thinking was turned on its head, when a new study published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders found that people with autism are actually quite creative.

The study found that when asked to describe different uses for a paper clip, people with autism had fewer suggestions. However, the suggestions that they did have were considered more unusual compared to other neurotypical individuals.

Today, it’s widely believed that there is a strong connection between creativity and people on the autism spectrum. Below, we’ll dive more into this topic to shed light on it.

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What is Creativity?

Some people have posited that the reason for the misconception about creativity and autism comes from confusion about what defines creativity versus what defines imagination.

Imagination is best defined as conjuring up images in the mind. Creativity is related to imagination, of course, but it’s not the same thing.

Instead, it’s the ability for a person to not only create images but also manipulate them. The end result of creativity is a person being able to think of new concepts or ideas that serve a defined purpose.

This ties in directly with the study mentioned above. People with autism may not have been able to name as many uses for a paper clip as neurotypical individuals, but they were able to come up with more unusual (creative) ones.

How Are People with ASD Creative Thinkers?

Everyone approaches finding solutions to problems differently. One common way is through convergent thinking, which is the process of finding a single correct answer.

The other main type of approach to problem solving is divergent thinking. This involves producing original and unique ideas to solutions, and it’s often associated with creativity.

People on the autism spectrum are typically considered divergent thinkers, and they commonly excel in this type of thinking. The previously-mentioned study found that the more autistic traits a person had, the more unusual their ideas were for how they could use a paper clip.

Instead of responding that a paper clip holds multiple pieces of paper together, for example, people with autism gave responses such as they could use it as a mini tool or a fishing hook.

The study found that individuals who have autism are more likely than others to bypass what would be considered common solutions to a problem, instead quickly arriving at solutions that are much less conventional.

Other research has shown that people with autism can generate responses that are more creative and more unique. What this shows is that there is a link between thinking creatively and common traits of autism.

How Can People with Autism Be Embraced for Their Creativity?

Knowing that people with autism can be exceptionally creative, it is important to help support and encourage them to be creative. A simple way to do this is to embrace the unique skills and traits that people with autism have.

This can start from a very young age. It’s something that applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy, focuses on significantly. By accepting children with autism, understanding the immense skills that they have and encouraging them to grow, ABA therapists can also help them build the skills that they commonly struggle with — communication, social interactions and other daily life skills.

It’s also important for the people who spend the most time with the child — and society in general — to embrace these same unique talents. Embracing the different perspectives that individuals with autism bring to the table will only help to encourage them to be more creative and encourage those around them to be more accepting and inclusive.

Blue Gems ABA Fosters Creativity within Children with Autism

Contrasting earlier research on the topic, studies done over the last 10 years have found a direct link between autism and creative thinkers. They have shown, for example, that while people with autism may provide fewer solutions to a problem, they often come up with more creative ways to solve problems.

En Blue Gems ABA, we help children with autism foster their creative thinking and their other unique abilities to help them grow as individuals. We administer ABA therapy on a one-to-one basis, crafting treatment plans that cater specifically to each child’s unique strengths and challenges.

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