**3. Cognitive processes involved in creativity**

clude narrow interests, great persistence, ability to see details within a whole, a fascination with facts (rather than people) and having savant type talents. While social imagination is

"Autistic intelligence" as described by Hans Asperger [13] is a sort of intelligence hardly touched by tradition and culture – "unconventional, unorthodox, strangely 'pure' and origi‐ nal, akin to the intelligence of pure creativity". As pointed out by Einstein "To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires imagination

Individuals with ASD show great variation in IQ ranging from severe intellectual impair‐ ment to superior ability. In addition, intelligence as measured by traditional intelligence tests reveals a different intellectual profile in ASD than in the neurotypical population with peaks on Block Design and troughs in Comprehension that appears to be robust across IQ levels [15]. Individuals with ASD also generally display atypical cognitive processes when performing these tasks. More recent studies [16,17] revealed further evi‐ dence for a different nature of autistic intelligence including fast information processing

The relationship between intelligence and creativity is unclear and ranges from suggestions of totally distinct psychological entities to overlapping constructs to different labels for the same thing [18]. Guilford [19] in his 1950 landmark paper "Creativity" asserted that creative talent could not be understood in terms of "intelligence". Within the creativity literature, as noted by Lubart [20] "the dominant view is that certain intellectual abilities may be particu‐ larly useful in creative work, but no intellectual ability is devoted only to creativity" (p.288). Good general intelligence, domain-specific knowledge and special skills are necessary ingre‐ dients for creativity; however, these components alone are not sufficient for explaining crea‐

Gardner's [22] model of multiple intelligences holds that intelligence is a collection of differ‐ ent intellectual capacities including linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily kinaes‐ thetic, spatial intelligence and two forms of personal intelligence, - one oriented towards the understanding of other persons, the other towards an understanding of self. Autistic intelli‐ gence tends to be concentrated in the areas of music and logical-mathematical and spatial abilities. By nature, individuals with autism are extremely logical and analytical, and their thinking is concrete which makes them good mathematicians though lesser poets. The ex‐ ception may be a minority of gifted individuals with ASD who have special literary talents as suggested by Ilona Roth [23] in her analysis of autism spectrum poets including Donna Williams, Tito Mukhopadhyay and Wendy Lawson. Roth makes the point that "poetry, with its dependence on intensely abstract, symbolic, and free-flowing forms of expression" (p.

161) might be particularly suited to the autistic cognitive style.

impaired, autistic imagination of the Einsteinian type is amplified.

**2. Nature of autistic intelligence and creativity**

and makes real advance in science" [14 p. 40].

772 Recent Advances in Autism Spectrum Disorders - Volume I

despite poor measured IQ.

tive processes [21].

Creativity is a multidimensional construct and cognitive neuroscience is only beginning to understand the many cognitive components involved in creative thinking including the neu‐ ral substrates underlying these processes [for a review see 28]. Theories of creativity in gen‐ eral suggest that creativity is linked to attentional capacity [29] and associative or divergent thinking processes [30]. Mendelsohn [31] emphasised the specific role of "defocused" atten‐ tion or a widened attentional ability in highly creative individuals, which is in contrast with the extremely narrow focus of attention ascribed to individuals with autism [e.g. 32]. Like‐ wise, divergent thinking, which involves the production of a variety of responses [33] and assumes to depend on extensively connected neural networks also conflicts with the well re‐ ported neural underconnectivity and enhanced local networks found in autism. As pointed out by Nettle [34] "different domains of creativity require different cognitive profiles, with poetry and art associated with divergent thinking, schizophrenia and affective disorder, and mathematics associated with convergent thinking and autism" (p.1). It appears that other concepts of information processing need to be considered when attempting to elucidate the specific and unique mechanisms underlying autistic creativity. In the words of Allan Snyder [35] "The fact that genius might fall within the autistic spectrum challenges our deepest no‐ tions of creativity. Are there radically different routes to creativity: normal and autistic?" (p. 1403).

The main current interpretation of special gifts and savant skills associated with autism in‐ clude cognitive and psychological theories as well as various other models.

**5. Cognitive and psychological theories and explanations underlying**

The development of special gifts and talents in ASD has been associated in general with the ability to process local information. These abilities include detail-focused cognitive style (weak coherence) [52], enhanced perceptual functioning [53], an accentuated capacity for systemizing [54], privileged access to low-level perceptual processes [55] and various other

Critical Evaluation of the Concept of Autistic Creativity

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/54465

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A different cognitive style, the weak central coherence theory (WCC) proposed by Uta Frith [56] and Frith and Happé [57] has been suggested as an explanation for certain special abili‐ ties found in ASD. This exceptional part-based processing style is demonstrated in the supe‐ rior ability individuals with ASD show on tasks such as block design and embedded figures resulting from deficits in integration processes that serve to draw information together as a meaningful whole [see 58]. According to Frith [59], the WCC particularly addresses the spe‐ cial gifts and talents and acute perceptual abilities in autism (e.g. hypersensitivity, visual and auditory abilities) and can explain the achievements of individuals with ASD syndrome in art, science, music, and many other areas. Local coherence, which is defined by close at‐ tention to mechanical or physical patterns, is exemplified in the work of Temple Grandin [60]. Atypical attentional mechanisms and abnormal neural connectivity have been suggest‐

Also located at the level of perception is the model proposed by Mottron and Burack [61] and Mottron et al [62] which are based on enhanced perceptual functioning (EPF) suggesting that people with autism have an overdevelopment of low-level perceptual abilities at the expense of high-level processing mechanisms. This theory provides a con‐ vincing account of special abilities in ASD such as peaks of ability in visual and audito‐ ry modalities and also indicates that a variety of cognitive processes are required for the development of savant abilities. For example, Mottron et al [63] propose that enhanced detection of patterns, including similarity within and among patterns is contributing to creativity evident in savants. As far as neural correlates for their theory is concerned the authors suggest the notion of brain plasticity and an overfunctioning of brain regions in‐

EPF and WCC are similar in emphasizing detail focused processing bias and superior local processing. Superiority in local coherence may be specific to autistic creativity and as argued by Mills [65] "produces an imaginative faculty defined by close attention to mechanical or

**special gifts and talents and savant skills in ASD**

ed as possible cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying WCC.

psychological and physiological states.

**5.2. Enhanced perceptual functioning**

volved in perception in autism [64].

physical patterns not psychological or social rules" (p.126).

**5.1. Weak central coherence**

#### **4. Savant syndrome and creativity**

According to Treffert [36]: "Savant syndrome is a rare, but extraordinary condition in which persons with serious mental disabilities, including autistic disorder, have some 'island of genius' which stands in marked, incongruous contrast to overall handicap" (p.1351). Savant skills are found more commonly in ASD than in any other group [37] and are generally at‐ tributed to low-functioning autism but can also occur in individuals with normal and very high intelligence.

Theories put forward to explain savant skills strongly suggest a relationship with repetitive, obsessional and restricted behaviour [38]. Savants generally exhibit circumscribed interests usually within their skill area [39], which leads to considerable rehearsal, practice and train‐ ing. Savant skills are also strongly associated with rote memory [40]. Pring [41] in her analy‐ sis of memory characteristics in savants argued against the rote memory explanation and instead proposed the existence of complex long-term memory structures in savants. In gen‐ eral, memory is considered an essential cognitive component of savant skills. In addition, re‐ searchers have suggested a role for 'implicit' or unintentional, learning in savant skill development [42,43]. Results of neuropsychological examinations of a calendar-calculating savant indicated that good memory, superior mental calculation and knowledge of calendar are the underlying elements for this specific talent [44]. Taken together, the classical portrait of the autistic savant is largely imitative and not very creative and some writers [e.g. 45] ar‐ gued that true creativity is missing in savants "there are no savant geniuses about…. Their mental limitations disallow and preclude an awareness of innovative developments" (p. 177). In contrast, other theorists [46,47] believe that savants, particularly those with Asperg‐ er syndrome with above average intelligence levels [48] can be extremely creative. Mottron et al [49] write that "Savant performance cannot be reduced to uniquely efficient rote memo‐ ry skills …. and encompasses not only the ability for strict recall, requiring pattern comple‐ tion, but also the ability to produce creative, new material within the constraints of a previously integrated structure" (p.1388).

Various pathological conditions such as frontotemporal dementia, dominant-hemisphere strokes, head injuries and infections may also result in the emergence of savant like abilities [e.g. 50]. Of particular interest is the fact that individuals with these diverse types of disor‐ ders and emerging savant skills also develop cognitive features and behavioural traits, which are characteristic of autism [51].
