Are Children with Autistic Traits More or Less Creative? Links between Autistic Traits and Creative Attributes in Children

Abstract

Autistic traits are found throughout the general population, but their link to creative attributes has received little attention in childhood populations. In adults, autistic traits are linked to both creative benefits and disadvantages, moderated by the autistic trait and the creative domain under investigation. The current study investigates the link between autistic traits and creative attributes (creative personality traits, creative talent, creative artistic choices) in children aged 10–14 years. Autistic traits were measured using the Adolescent-AQ, both globally (AQ-Total) and for individual subscales (AQ-Attention to detail, AQ-Imagination, and “AQ-Core”, i.e., combining AQ-Social skills, AQ-Attention switching, AQ-Communication). Using child and parent reports, data from 149 children revealed an association between autistic traits and creative personality traits (both positive and negative) while also showing a (weaker) relationship with creative artistic choices. Global and core autistic symptoms negatively predicted creative personality traits. At the same time, AQ-Imagination predicted lower creative attributes across nearly all creative domains. Finally, and in contrast, AQ-Attention to detail positively predicted a number of creative attributes (i.e., creative personality traits, creative talent). Our results show how autistic traits map to a range of creative attributes, across children in the general population.