Drawing the Line: How People with Autism Copy Line Drawings of Three-Dimensional Objects

Abstract

It is purported that the local perceptual style characteristic of those with autism results in them reproducing line drawings in a more localised manner than comparison individuals. Here we report an exception to this: the drawing strategies of those with autism were more global. When reproducing line drawings depicting three-dimensional objects, a sample of fifty-six participants with autism showed a greater tendency to begin by copying the two-dimensional outline of the figure than fifty-seven matched comparison participants (39.3% versus 8.8% of group; χ²₁ = 14.46, p < 0.0005). We argue that this is consistent with the perception of those with autism being less conceptually driven, but not necessarily less global.