Temple Grandin is absolutely fascinating to listen to! I just love her. She talks about what makes her different in the video above–if you have time–it’s a fascinating speech!

She talks about how people with autism process communication.

When you listen to someone tell you a story, how to think about it? Do you think in language or perhaps pictures? Or maybe a combination of both?

I have known for a while I think in pictures for most of my thoughts, but I thought everyone did. I don’t even know if I can even think verbally. I never see words. I always see images. I paint movies in my head like Temple Grandin talks about.

I have realized some of my ability to pick out liars comes from being a visual person. I paint the stories people tell as images in my head and make mental movies of them, so when people change their stories, I see the movies and know the story has changed. I don’t think at all in terms of words, though words can stand out to me. This concept is rather perplexing to me.

I, like Temple Grandin, thought most people thought in pictures.

How do you think?