Individuals on the Autism Spectrum are known to have very “black and white” thinking. That is, they view things as good or bad, right or wrong, yes or no, on or off, love it or hate it. There's no in-betweens or shades of grey. Put simply, those with Asperger's Syndrome only ever see, or consider two options.
The cognitive pattern of black and white thinking is a very common trait of autistic people. It refers to a tendency to view situations, emotions, and ideas in absolutes or extremes.
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.
According to researchers from San Diego State University, these deep folds and wrinkles may develop differently in ASD. Specifically, in autistic brains there is significantly more folding in the left parietal and temporal lobes as well as in the right frontal and temporal regions.
Since there is no physical test to diagnose this complex neurodevelopmental condition, doctors use behavior, history, and parent-reported interviews to diagnose ASD. Research is suggesting that, in future, brain scans may be used to diagnose autism, possibly even before behavioral symptoms become apparent.
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.
Besides such pragmatic concerns, there are theoretical issues that need to be addressed before MRIs can be used to detect autism. 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.
The development of the autistic brain is a complex process that can vary from person to person. While there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, research suggests that the autistic brain may continue to develop and change throughout adolescence and into early adulthood.
Historically, the amygdala has been thought to play a prominent role in the difficulties with social behavior that are central to autism. Researchers have long known the amygdala is significantly larger in school-age children diagnosed with autism, but it was unknown precisely when that enlargement occurs.
Individuals on the Autism Spectrum are known to have very “black and white” thinking. That is, they view things as good or bad, right or wrong, yes or no, on or off, love it or hate it. There's no in-betweens or shades of grey. Put simply, those with Asperger's Syndrome only ever see, or consider two options.
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.
Every autistic person is different, but sensory differences, changes in routine, anxiety, and communication difficulties are common triggers.
Anxiety and depression.
When people have anxiety and depression, it's common for them to think in absolutes. More extreme emotions can cause black and white thinking to become worse.
Black-and-white thinking is sometimes a symptom of a personality disorder, like narcissism or borderline personality disorder, as well as eating disorders, depression, or anxiety, according to APA. Many people engage in black-and-white thinking even when they don't have a mental health diagnosis.
3. "Black and White" thinking, or stubborn, rigid and extreme thinking, is common with immature cognitive development. 4. Parents may be particularly sensitive to comments that arise from a lack of cognitive maturity, and they can be helped to understand that this is part of growing up.
About 70% of autistic people have an intellectual disability, which means they have an IQ lower than 70. The remaining 30% have intelligence that ranges from average to gifted. Autism and intelligence are two separate characteristics. A person can be autistic with any level of intelligence.
Abstract Some children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) exhibit low mental age (Low-MA), defined here as cognitive functioning below 12 months.
There are many different factors that have been identified that may make a child more likely to have ASD, including environmental, biologic, and genetic factors.
In the absence of a behavioral and developmental evaluation, a positive genetic test result can, at most, identify children at risk for having ASD.
Neurologists: Neurologists can play a role in diagnosing autism by ruling out neurological disorders that may be causing the symptoms of autism. They perform neurological testing and developmental motor tests. Autism—its cause as well as its treatment—is still not clearly understood.
Non-autistic people tend to assess concepts before details, also known as top-down thinking. Autistic people take the opposite approach with bottom-up thinking and use details to build concepts. It may take longer to filter out sensory details with this approach, but you're less likely to miss important information.
She has discovered that people on the autism spectrum have increased sensitivity to visual motion in their peripheral field of vision, which affects how they perceive their environment and where they place themselves in time and space. “Most people with autism have motor coordination problems.
Interviews with autistic adults who have good speech and are able to articulate their thought processes indicate that most of them also think in visual images. More severely impaired people, who can speak but are unable to explain how they think, have highly associational thought patterns.
People with autism often speak with a different rhythm, prosody, and/or volume than typical peers. Thus, even if the words themselves are appropriate, they may sound flat, loud, soft, or otherwise different. It's not unusual for people with autism to "script" their conversations.