Are People With Autistic Traits More Creative?

Individuals with autistic traits might be more creative compared to others.

This is the conclusion researchers led by Dr. Catherine Best, health researcher at University of Stirling in United Kingdom, reached in a study aimed at determining a link between autistic traits and creative thinking.

The research published at the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders revealed that although those individuals that shows high level of autistic traits gives fewer ideas than those with lower levels, the ideas created by the said individuals were more "original" and "unusual" and a better "creative problem-solving skill."

"This is the first study to find a link between autistic traits and the creative thinking processes. It goes a little way toward explaining how it is that some people with what is often characterized as a 'disability' exhibit superior creative talents in some domains," Dr. Best explained via Medical News Today (MNT).

In order to reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed and evaluated information from 312 participants who answered an online questionnaire that were used to obtain data about autistic traits.

Moreover, the participants also underwent a creativity test called "divergent thinking". Through the given test, participants were asked to think of all possible uses they can think for a paper clip or a brick. The researchers then assessed the quantity of the ideas created by the participants, measuring them in terms of "unusualness" and "elaborateness".

Additionally, as mentioned by MNT, the researchers hypothesize that this may be the result as people with autism or autistic traits may have superior ability to produce unusual responses that stem from the inability to think of different ideas. The finding is also in contrast with common views that people with autistic traits thinks in a "rigid" or inflexible way.

Further in the report, however, the researchers cited that not all people with autistic traits may exhibit higher level of creative thinking, adding that there are variations among individuals who have autistic traits.

"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," Dr. Best clarified via MNT.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, autism is a neurodevelopment disorder that is commonly characterized by "social impairments, communication problems, and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior."