NT vs ND Processing

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I have a theory on the difference between how NTs and AS people process, and I wanted to throw it out there and see what all of you think.

There are a lot of discussions about how AS people think, Temple Grandin and thinking in pictures, patterns, or verbally. I am a teacher and we look at our students’ learning styles, Gardner and such. Other people focus on the differences in communication styles. There is a consensus that both NTs and AS people think in diverse ways in each of these three categories, so then it gets confusing because what is it that makes ND processing “different” if we all think differently from each other anyway?

I haven't seen these three ideas put together much. Does it make sense that learning--thinking--communicating are the steps of overall processing? Take info in, use it mentally, relay info out. If so, could we then hypothesize that NTs are better able to streamline their processing into the same style at each step for a particular task, like verbal learning--verbal thinking--verbal communicating, or visual learning--visual thinking--visual communicating depending on the situation and individual, and AS people use different styles at each step of processing the same task, like pattern learning--visual thinking--kinesthetic communicating, or tactile learning--logical thinking--verbal communicating?

For those that like charts, one example of processing one task:
--------------------------- Learning -- Thinking -- Communicating
Neurotypical Processing: Verbal -- Verbal -- Verbal
Neurodiverse Processing: Pattern -- Visual -- Kinesthetic

This would make sense for delays and why being understood is difficult, there is so much mental translating to do. AS people have so much going on just to process that we think in depth to ourselves, but miss some of the stuff going on outside. NTs have available brain space to spend on interpersonal interactions. If I really focus and get out of my head I can be social, too, but I can't do it while processing anything else. Also, if the brain has to coordinate through so many pathways, could that be why we are more open and highly sensitive to sensory stimuli? Or are we so focused internally that outside sensory things are startling?

I think this makes a ton of sense, and I'd like to add some thoughts to it.

I've always thought that part of AS/ASD is a lack of a filter matrix in the senses. I'm told by my NT acquaintances and therapist that NT people don't notice sensory info they consider "background" - traffic, air conditioners, flickering fluorescent lights, the feeling of their clothes against their skin, etc., etc. Their brains decide what is relevant and filter out the rest, unless something "background" is pointed out to them. But those of us on the spectrum don't seem able to do that; it's as though we never developed that filtering system. So a great deal of our brain space is taken up with being aware of *everything*, and trying to figure out what is relevant or not.

Add to this the fact that AS/ASD people think differently than NT's (caused, I believe, by the fact that we experience and perceive the world so differently than they do), and that we're constantly having to translate our thoughts into something they will understand, which often involves choosing words that are inexact, but simple enough for the average NT, and is there any wonder that we're slow about it??

You used the phrase "mental translating", and I think that hits the nail on the head. Not only are we constantly translating our sensory input into something WE can understand, we then have to put it together in the right ways, and then figure out how to express that in a way other people can understand - which is usually something very foreign to us. It's a lot of work.

Yes, it sure would be nice to have more of a filter most of the time. I do enjoy being able to take in all the intricacies of music and nature, though!