People with Autism are more likely to have unusually creative ideas

Those on the high end of the Autistic Spectrum are more likely to produce creative ideas, research conducted by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the University of Stirling has revealed.

Psychologists from the universities studied the relationship between creativity and traits associated with autism. The study revealed people with high autistic traits produced less responses when creating alternative solutions to a problem, known as ‘divergent thinking’ – the responses produced were found to be more creative and original.

Co-author of the study Dr Martin Doherty, from UEA’s School of Psychology, commented: “People with high autistic traits could be said to have less quantity but greater quality of creative ideas. They are typically considered to be more rigid in their thinking, so the fact that the ideas they have are more unusual or rare is surprising. This difference may have positive implications for creative problem solving.

“People with autistic traits may approach creativity problems in a different way. They might not run through things in the same way as someone without these traits would to get the typical ideas, but go directly to less common ones. In other words, 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.”

The study, published in the 'Journal of Autism and Development Disorders' – is thought to be the first to find a link between creative thinking processes and autistic traits. Focusing on people who have not necessarily been diagnosed with autism but have high levels of similar behaviours and characteristics typically associated with the autistic spectrum.

The research supports previous studies indicating the advantages of having traits closely associated with autism without receiving a full diagnosis. Similar research projects have used the same tasks, revealing more people use simple ‘undemanding’ strategies to solve problems, such as word association to lead them to the most obvious answer, first. Then moving on to strategies that require more cognitive input, making responses more creative. The research revealed those on the high end of the autistic spectrum choose more difficult strategies first.

Dr Doherty described the results of the study as portraying a paradox in autism – a condition restricted by interests and behaviour. Well-known autists include British architectural artist Stephen Wiltshire and American author and activist Temple Grandin, both incredibly creative.

Recently, Channel 4 broadcast ‘The Autistic Gardener’ – a programme created to show the unique contributions people with autism can make within the confines of a creative industry or activity, such as garden design.

Dr Catherine Best, health researcher at the University of Stirling, said: “This is the first study to find a link between autistic traits and the creative thinking processes. It goes a little way towards explaining how it is that some people with what is often characterised as a ‘disability’ exhibit superior creative talents in some domains.

“It should be noted that there is a lot of variation among people with autism. There can be people whose ability to function independently is greatly impaired and other people who are much less affected. Similarly not all individuals with the disorder, or the traits associated with it, will exhibit strengths in creative problem solving. Trying to understand this variation will be a key part of understanding autism and the impact it has on people’s lives.”

Researchers analysed information from more than 300 participants, who completed online questionnaires, designed to determine their autistic ability, then a series of creative tests.

Study participants were tested on their divergence and asked to list as many alternative uses for a brick or a paper clip. Responses were rated for quantity and how elaborate and unusual they were, some more creative answers given included: a paper clip as a weight on a paper airplane, a wire to support cut flowers or a spring.

Research participants were also shown four abstract drawings to gauge how many different interpretations they could suggest for each figure within one minute, the higher the number of ideas, the lower the level of autistic traits.

Participants were sourced through the use of social media, and websites aimed at people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

It is hoped the findings will help researchers to understand more about autistic traits and how the brain is capable of adapting to problem solving within the general population.