Reasoning in people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been characterised as being slower and more effortful than controls. People with ASD show a more circumscribed reasoning bias, and often take longer to make decisions.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental difference that affects the way people think and communicate with others. A preference for logical thinking is a characteristic of autism in many people. Not all autistic people lean on logic to guide their thinking, though.
Brain areas that control speech activate unusually slowly in children with autism when they move their mouths and produce sounds. The delays could contribute to language problems in people with autism, though not all the data are consistent with this idea1.
Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often show slower processing speed, which may be due to the widespread differences in brain functioning that are characteristic of these conditions (Cook et al., 2018; Hedvall et al., 2013).
Compared with their non-autistic peers, autistic children have significantly faster expansion of the surface area of their cortex from 6 to 12 months of age. In the second year of life, brain volume increases much faster in autistic children than in their non-autistic peers.
Abstract Some children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) exhibit low mental age (Low-MA), defined here as cognitive functioning below 12 months.
However, brain scans using MRI and other methods do indeed help to recognize targets for the treatment of autism and may even help to diagnose autism in the future.
Processing speed is how long it takes someone to get something done. Some people take longer to process information than others. Slow processing speed isn't related to intelligence.
Mild autism is level 1 autism spectrum disorder. It means a person does not have severe symptoms and needs a lower level of support than someone else with autism. People with mild autism still have a hard time communicating and interacting with others.
Additionally, there is evidence that ASD is related to the general hypoactivation of the reward system (31). New genetic research has discovered genetic variants and mutations of dopamine transporter (DAT) that alter dopamine transmission and consequently lead to ASD-like behavior patterns (32, 33).
Cluttering. There is another language problem found in autism that can produce fast, unclear conversation. Cluttering is when someone talks rapidly, with syllables that run together, excessive filler words and repetitions, and abnormal pauses. It often occurs alongside stuttering, though it's less well-known.
Many people with autism lack the ability to use prosody and thus have what is often described as a "flat" voice. This is sometimes misinterpreted as a lack of interest, lack of intelligence, lack of humor, or lack of emotional response.
Analytical Thinking: People with an autism spectrum disorder think in a logically consistent way that leads to quick decision making. These thinkers can make decisions without experiencing the framing effect that inhibits most neurotypicals from making decisions without bias.
“Daydreaming, by itself, is an example of what is called "autistic thinking ", which means thinking that is sufficient unto itself, and not subjected to any criticism.
A few different factors converge to explain why autistic people have an “overly full head” and disorganized thoughts, as well as why we may be scatterbrained, quick to lose oversight, and more prone to overstimulation and dysregulation. All these factors are likely caused by overconnectivity in the brain.
not understanding social "rules", such as not talking over people. avoiding eye contact. getting too close to other people, or getting very upset if someone touches or gets too close to you. noticing small details, patterns, smells or sounds that others do not.
difficulties with high-level language skills such as verbal reasoning, problem solving, making inferences and predictions. problems with understanding another person's point of view. difficulties initiating social interactions and maintaining an interaction.
Some people may have a genetic predisposition to age-related white matter decay, a poorly understood but actively studied hypothesis. In other individuals, slowed processing speed could be the first sign of a neurodegenerative illness, such as Alzheimer's disease. Head trauma, including concussions, may play a role.
There are many intelligent people who have amazing minds, but don't think as quickly as the stereotypical intelligent individual. Instead, these people take the time to think things through, but when they do, their answers and solutions are among the best.
It can be associated with physical illness or injury such as low thyroid, epilepsy, or traumatic brain injury. It might be related to other physical problems such as lack of adequate sleep or reaction to medications.
“High-functioning autism” isn't an official medical term or diagnosis. It's an informal one some people use when they talk about people with an autism spectrum disorder who can speak, read, write, and handle basic life skills like eating and getting dressed. They can live independently.
ADHD is characterized by impairing levels of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity, and ASD is defined by deficits in social communication and interaction, and the presence of restricted, repetitive behaviours, interests or activities1.
Difficulties with social imagination mean that autistic people find it hard to: Imagine the world from someone else's perspective and understand that other people may have different thoughts and feelings from their own. Interpret other people's thoughts, feelings and actions.