Autism Linked To Creativity And Divergent Thinking, Study Finds

The researchers said the results help explain why some of the most famous people with autism are in creative fields. However, as the sample size in the study was lumped together of those diagnosed with autism and some who just exhibited autistic traits, researchers can not be certain if the results may have been disproportionately influenced. Additionally, the participants were also presented with common everyday objects – such as bricks or toothbrushes – and asked to make a list with as many possible uses as they could think of.

In the same manner, when the participants were asked to interpret abstract drawings in as many ways as they could, the researchers found that those found with autism traits came up with more creative but lesser number of answers.

Autism usually prevents one from normal day to day activities but such people are extremely gifted in some aspects of the brain.

Autism is a psychiatric disorder affecting children primarily, characterized by abnormal self-absorption and a lack of ability to respond to people and actions. About 75% of the participants revealed they had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, and that they had problems relating with people or expressing their needs and interests – according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

The CDC explained that a common illness affecting that 1 percent of the population was the autism spectrum disorder, which would increase communication and behavioral challenges in patients. Unusualness, elaborateness and quantity were the parameters used by the researchers to rate the answers. She went on to add that although some people without a learning disability may find it hard to believe, autistic people are also empathetic and not antisocial. After getting a sense of how numerous subjects had been diagnosed with the condition, they also conducted their own tests to check if any of the undiagnosed subjects still exhibited some traits of the disease.

Study co-author Dr. Martin Doherty, from the School of Psychology at the UK’s University of East Anglia, says these findings came as a surprise, as individuals with high autistic traits are normally viewed as having a more “rigid” thinking process.

“The associative or memory-based route to being able to think of different ideas is impaired, whereas the specific ability to produce unusual responses is relatively unimpaired or superior”, Doherty explained.

The chances of individuals with developmental conditions have better chances of answering unique answers to creative problems even though they may be at a disadvantage in other areas. “Trying to understand this variation will be a key part of understanding autism and the impact it has on people’s lives”. People with autistic tendencies visualized more than one image in figures open to multiple interpretations.