Generativity and imagination in autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from individual differences in children's impossible entity drawings

Abstract

This study examined the cognitive underpinnings of spontaneous imagination in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by way of individual differences. Children with ASD (N = 27) and matched typically developing (TD) children were administered Karmiloff-Smith's (1990) imaginative drawing task, along with measures that tapped specific executive functions (generativity, visuospatial planning, and central coherence processing style) and false belief theory of mind (ToM) understanding. The ASD group drawings displayed deficits in imaginative content and a piecemeal pictorial style. ASD participants also showed group deficits in generativity, planning and ToM, and exhibited weak coherence. Individual differences in generativity were related to imaginative drawing content in the ASD group, and the association was mediated through planning ability. Variations in weak coherence were separately related to a piecemeal drawing style in the ASD group. Variations in generativity were also linked with imaginative drawing content in the TD group; the connection unfolded when it received pooled variance from receptive language ability, and thereupon mediated through false belief reasoning to cue imaginative content. Results are discussed in terms of how generativity plays a broad and important role for imagination in ASD and typical development, albeit in different ways.

The Neurobiology of Imagination: Possible Role of Interaction-Dominant Dynamics and Default Mode Network

“…Several authors suggest that the so-called Von Economo neurons (VENs) are involved in the self-awareness (Evrard et al, 2012) hence it can be surmised that VENs play a role in imagination processes. In agreement with such a view alterations in VENs have been described in autistic patients (Santos et al, 2011) as well as an impoverishment of their imagination capabilities (Craig and Baron-Cohen, 1999; Low et al, 2009). …”

Inclusion through folk high school in Sweden – the experience of young adult students with high-functioning autism

“…People who are diagnosed with such are described as having limitations in the areas of social cognition [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] and empathy [31][32][33][34][35]. Research has also identified a lack of enterprise and an inability to take the initiative amongst people who have been diagnosed with high-functioning autism [36,37], as well as a limited ability to make plans and to be flexible [24]. This research, however, has been challenged by studies that claim that poor results on all sorts of tests can be attributed to difficulties in understanding what psychiatrists and researchers expect from the high-functioning autistic subject, instead of any specific cognitive impairment(s) [38].…”

“…They need a "changeover period" [64] each time they complete one activity and move on to another before they are fully engaged in their studies. Whilst it may be the case that people with high-functioning autism are sometimes characterised as lacking flexibility [24] and lack an enterprising spirit and an ability to take the initiative [36,37], Folk High School's ability to interact with each participant on an individual level and to provide then with the necessary changeover period may be a contributing factor to the fact that participants feel less stress than during their previous schooling.…”

“…Note that this is a completely unreasonable demand to place on a potential employer or university lecturer in the future. However, the participants have been given a de facto diagnosis which, in many cases, entails limitations concerning a person's development of independence [36,37]. There were major differences between the five courses in terms of preparing participants for a future as independent citizens.…”

Leading by example: Exploring the influence of design examples on children's creative ideation

“…In a later workshop which did include design examples, the examples acted as scaffolds for more novel ideas that were also relevant to the educational objectives of the game. Furthermore the inclusion of design examples can be imperative for children who would otherwise be unable or face severe challenges to be able to participate within the design process (Benton et al, 2011;Hornof, 2009), for instance by providing scaffolding for children with autism who may struggle with the more abstract aspects of the creative process (Low et al, 2009).…”