Can an Aspie be a “big picture” thinker?

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The more I work in my engineering career the more I feel like I’m actually not that detail oriented but more of a big picture thinker. It actually irritates me when someone points out minor detail that has no effect on the outcome of a situation. Also when you’re talking to someone and they hear one detail they don’t like and lose the entire context of what you’re trying to say. I feel like I’m pretty good at looking into the future and discerning what will matter down the road and what won’t. I’m also not a stereotypically “black and white” thinker like most Aspies. I used to be more like this but as I’ve gotten older I’ve been able to see shades of gray or more than one point of view.
I feel like I might be good at strategizing or outlining what needs to get done but am not that great at executing on a million minor details.
Is part of this due to the fact that a lot of Aspies might be intelligent but “lack common sense”? I’m aware that we tend to not be the most practical people. It’s weird because I’m a stereotypical Aspie in a lot of ways but I keep reading that Aspies are “detail obsessed” and often “don’t see the big picture” but I feel like I’m almost the opposite.

It is possible.


With enough amount of details with the right form of processing -- yes.

When the opportunity presents itself, through a generalized goal with sufficient amount of recall speed, yes.

In certain states of mind, if said aspie or autistic is able to remove one self from the seas of details and/or egocentric point of view (whether it's mental facts, intense focus or sensory input) -- OR is no longer having to bother with these things -- in otherwords, no longer too imersed (voluntary or involuntary) with any point of view, yes.

If the particular autistic's usual stance is to generalize, can afford to intuit and fill the blanks faster -- than think through the data banks or be held back by too much uncertainties, yes.



In my case... I could've been if my body is doing it right.
I'm just too immersed or too encumbered to be able to step back and look at the bigger picture in real time, without some form of mental myopia getting in the way on top of it.

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My answer to the question in the thread title is: "yes, I don't see why not," unless you mean a big picture thinker in all situations. Since detail-orientedness is not part of the diagnostic criteria, it's unclear how fundamental it is to Asperger's Syndrome.

[/quote] People with AS are known for noticing details. Executing something pertaining to many details is an executive functioning issue, which is known to be a weakness for people with AS.[/quote]

This explains a lot. Thanks.

To be honest, I don't really get it. The way people use the term "big picture", it seems to mean "the principle". I've often heard people say, "you just can't see the big picture" to someone who is not seeing the principle of the situation.

Someone give me an example involving two scenarios so that I can understand what people mean by "the big picture".

I have always had very broad concerns, planning my life with the awareness that the current crises were building and trying to avoid problem areas while pursuing a vocation to reduce them. Once I settle on a project, I get farther into the details than most, with great results.
It sounds as if you are mostly running into Dunning-Kruger Syndrome - people who have faked and blundered into their jobs, perhaps not even aware that some people actually understand the work. John Cleese did a survey, and estimates that between 5% and 20% of "experts" are competent, with an average around 13%. Therefore, the people who know what they are talking about are always easily outvoted by others who pay attention to the wrong stuff. If you want to get stuff done, never mind about being right - just figure out how to trick them into looking good a few times, and they'll get easier to "convince."

A diagnosis is not a thinking style. There exists a stereotype that people with AS are detail-oriented but that's not necessarily true.