Weakness of visual working memory in autism.
Rapid visual working memory is impaired in adults with ASD—slow down visual sequences and lengthen exposure times when using visual supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Funabiki et al. (2018) tested how fast adults with autism can hold pictures in mind. They showed quick streams of shapes and colors, then asked people to recall what they saw.
The team compared adults with ASD to same-age peers without ASD. They also ran tests with still pictures and sounds to see if the problem was only visual or only fast.
What they found
Adults with ASD scored lower when the pictures flashed by quickly. They needed more time to catch and store each image.
On slow, static pictures or simple sounds, both groups scored the same. The trouble is not vision itself—it is the speed.
How this fits with other research
O'Hearn et al. (2011) saw the same pattern earlier: adults with ASD miss changes in moving scenes. The new study narrows the problem to the brief moment when pictures must be held in mind.
Vassos et al. (2023) pooled 44 studies and found small but steady slowing across many timed tasks. Yasuko’s result lands right inside that bigger picture—rapid visual memory is one place the slowdown shows up.
Vanmarcke et al. (2016) looked like good news: ultra-fast scene sorting stayed intact for non-social pictures. That seems opposite, but the tasks differ. Steven used one-shot gist; Yasuko asked people to hold several items. Keeping multiple fast images, not just spotting them, is the weak link.
Why it matters
If you show visual schedules, video models, or token boards in quick succession, slow the pace and leave each image up longer. Give a second or two extra for processing before you ask for a response or move to the next slide. This small timing tweak can cut errors and reduce frustration for adults with ASD.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often supported in daily life by visual presentations such as picture cards or illustrations. Therefore, they are considered to have visual strength. However, whether people with ASD are cognitively superior in visual processing and what causes the difference between visual and other sensory processing remain unknown. Thus, we compared visual and auditory processing from an aspect of memory in people with ASD and controls. We conducted the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) with 64 adults with ASD and 30 controls matched for gender, age, and Full Scale Intelligence Quotient (FIQ). Our results showed that participants with ASD were inferior in visual working memory (P < .01), on a task in which a visual target was pointed every second. Another visual memory, namely, Visual Reproduction in which four geometric figures were presented each by 10 sec, and auditory memory, including working memory, revealed no significant differences between groups. Other visual memory, namely, Visual Paired Associates in which paired presentations were shown every 3 sec, had weak differences (P = .019). Thus, people with ASD might have difficulties processing rapid visual information. Autism Res 2018, 11: 1245-1252. © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Autistic people are often supported by visual presentations. In this study, we inspected whether they have visual superiority. We showed that they were not visually superior in cognitive aspects, and were poor not at auditory but at visual working memory. Static visual memory in which memorization time is longer than that in working memory was intact in autism. Unusual rapid visual presentation may bother people with autism.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2018 · doi:10.1002/aur.1981