Global and configural visual processing in adults with autism and Asperger syndrome.

Rondan et al. (2007) asked adults with autism or Asperger’s to look at two kinds of pictures. One kind had big shapes made of tiny shapes. The other kind showed objects whose parts had to line up in space.

The team watched whether the adults saw the big picture first or the small details first. They compared the answers to adults without autism.

On the big-shape-made-of-little-shape test, the autism group still spotted the large shape first, just like the control group. But on the spatial-alignment test, they zoomed in on the small parts and missed how the parts fit together.

In short: global cue worked on one task, local bias ruled the other.

Van Eylen et al. (2018) later tested more people and more tasks. They found the local bias only shows up on some tasks, not every task. Their bigger study updates the 2007 result: task choice decides what you see.

Faja et al. (2009) used faces instead of shapes. Adults with autism again focused on pieces, not the whole face, matching the 2007 local pattern. This conceptual replication says the bias holds across pictures.

Scherf et al. (2008) tracked kids and teens. Global skills improved with age in typical kids but stayed flat in autism. That extends the adult snapshot: the local style starts early and stays.

When you teach map reading, facial expressions, or any task that needs “step back and see the whole,” don’t assume the client will glue the parts together. Point out the overall pattern first, then link the details. Build configural practice into drills, not just repeated part naming.