What are the ways NT think?

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If people on the spectrum think in one of three ways:

-in images
-in patterns
-with verbal logic

How do NTs think?

Can they also think in one of these ways, but in an NT way?

They think in images, verbal logic, thinking logic, but I don't think they think in patterns?

What is thinking logic?

Exactly that, thinking.

I'd say that all of those can be the case but maybe the drives (and positive experiences with such, e.g. the drive to interaction/socialisation?) influence their thinking more than ours?
I guess one would have to ask NTs/have more NTs post here to get a better insight though. Right now, we can only speculate.

My personal theory is:


The main difference between NT and AS thought processes:

NTs tend to "think in people", whereas people with AS tend to think in "things/objects/territory".


This is parallel to the difference between dog and cat thinking. Dogs think about the pack, whereas cats more think in territory. This is due to their different predatory style, being respectively pack and solo-hunters.

Similarly with NT and people with AS, being respectively pack and solo-hunters.

One could say it this way:

The "basic thought" of NTs is: "How can I act so at to become accepted by the group?" (I.e. they seek social status/approval).

The "basic thought" of AS individuals: "How can I act so as to make it on my own?" (I.e. they seek independence)


So to act like a NT, ask yourself: What is the best thing to do to become accepted by those I am surrounded by? How can I avoid being rejected?

I honestly don't know since I can't read anyone's minds. A a kid, I would sometimes wonder how other people think. And then I would wonder what it's like to be another person. And then I'd wonder why I'm me and not some other person, and why I see the world through these eyes and is the world and people in it actually real or some kind of illusion, and then I'd feel really creeped, out with shivering and stuff, and then I'd have to turn on all the lights in my home...

NT = Forest.


AS = Trees.


It all starts with sensory hypersensitivity. Every aspect of this disorder can be traced back to that.

When you are being constantly bombarded with unfiltered sensory data, the brain is overwhelmed with the task of determining what is important and what is not.

The neurotypical brain filters this data automatically. The world they see is calm and orderly. It's an overall 'Big Picture' view. Everything makes sense and everything is in it's place. What's important is obvious, and what is not, is barely noticeable.

The AS brain is overwhelmed with the task of seeing a thousand details at once and trying to sort them all out - lights, shadows, colors, sounds, touch sensations, smells, voices, movement, body language, facial expressions - making social interaction like finding a snowflake in a blizzard.

The very discussion in which you are currently engaged is an example of this kind of thinking. You are nitpickingly trying to analyze how a group of people see the details of social interaction, when in fact they don't see any details. They just act. There's no conscious thought, no dissection, no analysis. They would find your conversation utterly absurd, because they innately understand that you can't dance and think about dancing at the same time, or you'll trip over your feet.

They see a forest - the 'Big Picture' - all at once, balanced and in harmony and all making sense.

We see a million trees, all of which seem equally important, so we have to analyze each one individually, to determine which are the important trees and why, then decide what to do about it.

Images, patterns, verbal logic, blah, blah, blah...it's all the same picture to them.

NTs can view in detail just as well as a person with ASD if needed, just as a person with ASD can see the bigger picture if asked to. I would even bet that there are NTs that view the world in a more detailed way (depending on definition) than a person with ASD, considering there are far more NTs in the world. I don't think there are different thinking styles, though perhaps individuals with ASD have a general edge when it comes to visual thinking, while NTs have a general edge when it comes to abstract thought.

Socializing does not mean stupid, despite what many on this board seem to think. There are countless NTs that are geniuses in one field or another, whom range from having poor-godly social skills simultaneously.

In general I've noticed that many things are interpreted to be mutually exclusive, when in reality they are not. For example:

+ Misinterpretation that because ASD has bad social skills, no NT can have bad social skills (and if they do it must be 'their fault' rather than 'their wiring')
+ The detailed/bigger picture and social = stupid misinterpretations above
+ Variety of stimming and other mannerisms
+ Individual personalities (i.e. a person can have ASD and be a douche bag NOT as a direct result of their disorder/wiring, but due to their personality, as can an NT )
+ Individual skill-sets (i.e. a neurotypical may excel in science and math, and an Aspie may not.)

NT's are more influenced by socio-cultural things and the media. This is especially true for teenagers, who must forge an identity at a time when "social hierarchies" and cliques develop. Not all NT's are close-minded, but they tend to adhere more to gender roles ("I'm a man, so it's okay for me to sleep around" or "she sleeps around, what a whore") and things such as family tradition and what they see on TV. They're generally more interested in popular culture, and think about people's behaviors more in terms of what's considered socially appropriate.

I think this is a good answer.

Times like this I wonder if autism is more heterogeneous than we realize. Anyway, I'm with Willard on this. Everything starts with sensory hypersensitivity. Maybe there really is more than one kind of autism, though.

I see autism not so much as a spectrum, which is linear, but as a three D matrix in which every autistic individual resides at a precise and unique point. That's why the saying, "When you've met one autistic,... you've met one autistic."

Since I am autistic and have insight into my own autistic thinking, I will add, for those who are not familiar, that there is an NT phrase:
"Seen/met one (whoever), you've seen/met them all!"

I'm NT and not sure if I'm typical but I can't picture things in my head at all. I think in words by talking to myself in my head.

NTs tend to think more in terms of minds? They think more about what other people are thinking, in comparison to those with autism. They are also better at thinking about the "big picture" - what something means for them.

They don't really have completely different thought patterns to autists, just elements that those on the spectrum tend to lack. Body language, theory of mind, etc.

Considering I've encountered, both on-line as well as offline, racist, sexist, homophobic, and religiously intolerant autistics, I'm afraid that this is not a philosophy that's limited to socially normal people. (In fact, plenty of normal people denounce such small-mindedness, though unfortunately not enough to completely eradicate it from the world)