Autistic children found to excel in problem-solving, higher in creativity

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People with autism spectrum disorder are believed to have social, communication and behavioral challenges. However, a British study published in The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders has found some advantages to having autism.

A research conducted by scientists from the University of East Anglia and the University of Stirling in Scotland has found that autistic children can excel in problem-solving and are more creative compared to those who have no symptoms of autism, reports Autism Daily Newscast.

The study involved 312 participants, 75 of which were diagnosed with autism. The non-autistic participants were identified as either borderline autistic or had "sub-threshold autistic traits."

Fox News explains that the creativity and problem-solving skills of the participants were tested through a series of image and object interpretations. In other words, the participants were given abstract images and asked to explain what they thought about each picture.

In addition, the volunteers were also asked to come up with as many possible uses for ordinary everyday objects, like paper clips and bricks.

According to Science World Report, the team of British researchers found that people with more autistic traits gave fewer responses, but the answers tended to show higher creativity compared to the responses of those who had fewer symptoms of autism.

Nira Mashal, head of the brain and language lab at Bar-llan University in Ramat-Gan, Israel, explains that autistic people do not rely on the same conventional thoughts and expressions as people living without autism. As a result, autistic people focus more on their own perceptions and thoughts, which leads to unique and creative ideas.

Meanwhile,Temple Grandin, an autism activist and researcher from Colorado State University, told Reuters Health via email that mild autism can have intellectual advantages in certain fields.

"If all the autism traits were removed, we would lose many creative minds in music, art, math, and science," said Grandin.

In fact, there are some geniuses in history who scientists believe may have had a form of autism, but were not diagnosed because nothing was known about the developmental disorder at the time, reports Autism Myth Busters.

For example, Albert Einstein had difficulty with language and learning at school, both signs of autism. Einstein actually fell behind in school, despite his high IQ. In addition, he had difficulty getting a job because he found it hard to socially interact with people.

"There are many misconceptions and myths about autism, the biggest one including being antisocial and having a lack of empathy. However, what people with autism struggle with is fitting their feelings of sympathy and caring into everyday interactions," explained Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of Ambitious About Autism, in The Guardian.

Lasota added, "...this research helps to highlight that fact that seeing the world in a different way can be a positive trait too..."