Some days I think we should divide Asperger people into two distinct camps: the ones who are verbal-logical thinkers, and then ones who are visual-spatial thinkers.

And today is one of those days.

I mean, they’re completely different. How can we use the same term? While both Apie types are likely to end up as computer scientists and engineers, the verbal-logical Aspies will be the thorough, detailed perfectionists, and the visual-spatial thinkers will be the inventors.

And the artists.

So a portion of the Aspie population out there has this way cool inventor-artsy mind. Complete flake eccentric doodler absent-minded losing-everything maker-upper.

Who’s probably going to become very rich.

So let’s talk. What exactly is “thinking in pictures”?

If you ended up at this blogsite, you might have been googling Temple Grandin’s classic book Thinking in Pictures. Having written it several years ago, she’s updated it several times. Some added material is on the web in an essay format.

Here’s a quote from the introduction of the essay:

“Words are like a second language to me. I translate both spoken and written words into full-color movies, complete with sound, which run like a VCR tape in my head. When somebody speaks to me, his words are instantly translated into pictures. Language-based thinkers often find this phenomenon difficult to understand.”

Now, of course, Grandin is autistic, not Asperger. But her description of the thinking patterns of visual-thinker autistics gives some insight into the thinking of visual Aspies.

Here’s a summary of what she says:

• Visual thinkers picture everything. Even ideas that don’t have anything visual associated with them (like honesty or idealistic). They come up with a way to attach a picture to every thought.
• Words, language, and ideas are symbolic thought (the opposite of visual thought). So it’s hard for these Aspies to focus on these symbols — unless they can mentally draw a picture of them.
• Our NT natural ability with symbolic thought allows us to think up general concepts. For example, we can think of weather without thinking of a specific kind of weather (rain, snow, wind). This allows us to group ideas together, even if we’re not really aware that we’re grouping anything. In contrast, visual Aspies group ideas based on visual aspects — such as color, shape, or size. So in many ways, they don’t have the same concepts as we do.
• Visual thinkers are designers and developers of new things because they can picture them in their brains long before creating them. They can envision something before it exists, down to minute details, and can watch it run.
• Visual Aspies think through associations (associational thought). One mental picture automatically links up with another one, creating new ideas. As a result, their minds tend to wander from one association to another in a way that seems random to NTs. It’s as if there’s an elf hopping around in their brains.
• All Aspies have a hard time forming mental categories — that is, grouping ideas together to create “placeholder” concepts where they can put new information. For visual Aspies, these categories have to be picture-based. This is why visual Aspies often have a hard time with algebra — the alphabetical symbol (x or n) represents some mysterious number — nothing to visualize there!

Suggestions for working with visual Aspies

• Allow them to communicate in picture-based formats so that you can discover what they know. Then you can “translate” it back into abstract language and make it a learning process. Visual Aspies have weak verbal skills because words aren’t as meaningful as pictures.
• Provide ways for them to visualize what you’re talking about. Simple tables and graphs help. So do stickman drawings and photographs. Always give specific examples so there’s something to visualize.
• Play sorting games with the young visual Aspie to help develop category-making skills. Start by sorting objects according to visual features (color, shape, material, size), but then move onto more abstract features (purpose, uses, origins). Ask the child to come up with associations between the different objects. This helps form pattern-based thinking skills.
• Write things down. When you’re talking, there’s nowhere for your abstract words to stick to in the visual Aspie’s brain. Abstract words simply swirl around for a while and then dissolve, as if they didn’t even happen. If things are written down, there’s something to look at, as well as time to think about it and figure out what it means.
• Visual Aspies respond strongly to nouns. But because nouns trigger associational thinking, what you say and what they hear might be completely different. Remember that as soon as aword is spoken, it’s already produced a strong visual image in their brains. As a result, visual Aspies often they take nouns too literally and miss your metaphors.
• Visual Aspies have difficulty with change and transitions. It can help to provide ways to mentally visualize the change before it happens.
• Music lessons and daily music practice help link neurological pathways across different parts of the brain. This can help the young visual Aspie  develop the brain wiring for thinking in ways other than in pictures.
• Accept that there will be a certain amount of mind-wandering. It’s part of the way the visual Aspie thinks.