Abstract and Keywords
It is widely assumed that people with autism have a deficit in imagination, but it is not always clearly specified what exactly this deficit might entail. In fact research on mental imagery, pretense, and into other forms of creativity such as art or poetry indicates that many people with autism actually have significant talent. This chapter discusses what it is about imagination that is difficult in autism versus what appears intact, and what these patterns of strengths and weaknesses can tell us about imagination as a concept, as well as about the patterns of processing that characterize autism spectrum disorder.
Keywords: Asperger syndrome, autism, creativity, flexibility, imagination, mental imagery, savant, visual imagery
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