The Lived Experience of Thinking in Pictures in Self-Declared Autistic Adults

Abstract

Background:

Thinking in pictures is a distinct cognitive style characterized by the dominant use of visual thinking. Temple Grandin’s autobiographical account is the best-known description of visual thinking but there are few first-person accounts of this inner experience. The aim of this article was to gain further insight into the lived experience of a “thinking in pictures” cognitive style among autistic individuals.

Methods:

We collected posts from the Wrong Planet forum containing descriptions of visual thinking by self-declared autistic individuals. We then conducted a content analysis to identifying recurring themes. To guide this analysis, we created a codebook based on the themes found in Temple Grandin’s description, as well as themes that emerged directly from the posts themselves.

Results:

We identified three key themes related to the experience of thinking in pictures among self-declared autistic individuals. The first theme, termed “Phenomenological Characteristics,” described the main aspects of this type of thinking such as vivid imagery, photographic memory, and image manipulation. The second theme, called “Cognitive Functioning,” explored the cognitive processes related to the ability to think in pictures, including concrete and associative thinking, and how this relates to language. The third theme, termed “Verbal Communication Issues,” highlighted the difficulties faced by autistic individuals who think in pictures when it comes to oral communication, primarily because they must translate their mental images into words.

Conclusions:

These results allow us to better characterize this particular cognitive style, and also to better understand its involvement in learning situations and social interactions. The findings are discussed in light of studies on visual processing in autism and the relationship with the language dimension.

Community Brief

Why is this an important issue?

People who think in pictures rely more on mental images than words or other ways of thinking. Thinking in pictures is often described in autistic individuals. Apart from Temple Grandin’s book, there are n’t many personal stories that talk about this from the inside. These accounts are important because they give us a direct view of what it’s like to be autistic, showing us things about autism that haven’t been looked at much.

What was the purpose of this study?

The aim of this study was to understand better what it’s like for autistic people who say they think mainly in pictures.

What did the researchers do?

We collected and analyzed posts written by individuals who identify as autistic on the WrongPlanet forum. Specifically, we focused on posts where people discussed their experience of thinking in pictures. Then, we conducted an analysis to identify recurring themes. To guide this analysis, we created a codebook based on the themes found in Temple Grandin’s description, as well as themes that emerged directly from the posts themselves.

What were the results of the study?

We found three key themes related to the experience of thinking in pictures in autism. The first theme, called “Phenomenology Characteristics,” describes the main aspects of this type of thinking: when people hear or read words, it automatically creates clear mental images or movies, they can remember and recall details exceptionally well, and they’re skilled at manipulating these mental images. The second theme, called “Cognitive Functioning,” describes the cognitive processes related to the ability to think in pictures (concrete and associative thinking) and how it relates to the language dimension. The third theme, called “Verbal Communication Issues,” highlights the difficulties experienced by autistic individuals who think in pictures when it comes to oral communication, primarily because they must translate their mental images into words.

What do these findings add to what was already known?

Some of our findings match Temple Grandin’s description of her ability to think in pictures, as well as other studies on visual abilities in autism. However, we also discovered new information about problems with verbal communication. Our results suggest that thinking in pictures might play a role in the verbal communication difficulties often seen in autism.

What are potential weaknesses in the study?

First, we couldn’t confirm the autism diagnosis of the participants. Also, the stories we gathered might not offer as much detailed information as face-to-face interviews typically do. In addition, there’s a chance that people might exaggerate or say things to fit in with the online community on social media, which could introduce some biases. Nevertheless, we regard this exploratory study as a crucial initial step in advancing our comprehension of the lived experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum who think in pictures.

How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?

These findings may help autistic adults who think in pictures to better understand their particular functioning and how it can influence different facets of their daily life.