Patterns of nonverbal cognitive functioning in young children with autism spectrum disorders.

The team tested the preschoolers with autism, 30 with other delays, and 30 typical kids.

All children were three to five years old and non-verbal IQ was matched across groups.

Kids completed puzzles, block design, and picture-concept tasks while researchers scored accuracy.

Children with autism outperformed both other groups on visual-detail tasks like finding tiny shapes.

The same children scored lower on tasks needing abstract rules, such as sorting by theme.

This split pattern did not appear in the delay or typical groups.

Leng et al. (2024) zooms in on one part of the abstract weakness: preschoolers with autism also struggle with fast number guesses, a skill that sits under abstract reasoning.

Lindor et al. (2018) adds a boundary: visual strengths only show up if the child’s motor skills are age-appropriate; kids with poor motor scores lose the visual edge.

Plaisted et al. (2006) shows the same uneven profile in reading: some children decode words fine yet cannot grasp the story, mirroring the visuospatial-concept split found here.

Expect islands of visual talent alongside concept gaps in your preschool clients. Use clear, concrete visuals to teach new ideas and check that motor issues are not hiding strengths. When you see strong puzzle skills, do not assume the child will generalize—break abstract goals into small, visual steps and probe number sense early.