What does it mean when people say some children with autism only see “the trees, but not the forest”?
Children with autism are often quite skilled at noticing small details in a setting, especially visual details. For example, many of these children will notice when objects in the setting have been moved, or have been removed. Some will notice when a piece of furniture is in need of dusting, a piece of lint on the floor, or a person has new eyeglasses. Some children notice other sensory details, such as those that are auditory in nature. For example, many children with autism can become distracted by the sound of air conditioner fans, construction equipment being used outside, or the far away sounds of a train. Some children who are able to function at a higher level might focus on more cognitive details, such as the words from a game show, peoples birthdays, or capitols of states. The problem with this intense focus on environmental or cognitive details is that they are often unable to evaluate the relative importance of all of the information. For example, a child might spend a signi
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