Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33057954›Full record

SynthesisCognitive processing2021

Autism, autistic traits and creativity: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Paola Pennisi, Laura Giallongo, Giusy Milintenda, Michela Cannarozzo

Erratum issuedAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cognitive processing, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 19 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
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  6. Rapport in same and mixed neurotype groups of autistic and non-autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Prevalence of bias against neurodivergence-related terms in artificial intelligence language models.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2024
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Paola PennisiDepartment of Adult and Childhood, Human Pathology "Gaetano Barresi"; Hospital G. Martino, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria snc, 98125, Messina, Italy. ppennisi@unime.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1844-6265
Laura GiallongoDepartment of Cognitive Science, Education and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Via Concezione 6/8, IT, 98121, Messina, Italy.
Giusy MilintendaDepartment of Cognitive Science, Education and Cultural Studies, University of Messina, Via Concezione 6/8, IT, 98121, Messina, Italy.
Michela CannarozzoDepartment of Adult and Childhood, Human Pathology "Gaetano Barresi"; Hospital G. Martino, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria snc, 98125, Messina, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Psychometric, historiometric and psychiatric studies are controversial on a hypothetical link between psychopathology and creativity. In this study, we will try to contribute to this debate by analysing the case of autism. Is there a relationship between autism and creativity? If so, can we find the same relationship in a watered-down form in subjects with autistic traits? In order to answer these questions, we carried out a systematic literature review of the studies on this topic published in the last 10 years. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We also conducted a meta-analysis of data. We found that in the clinical population there are fewer creative performances than in control groups; nonetheless, it is possible to delineate a medium creative profile of subjects with autism. The average creative profile of people with autism shows that they are inhibited in fluency and flexibility, but that they display a high level of detail and a particularly high level of originality in works either generated during tests or created in private time. In particular, the level of detail reached in the latter condition seems to be higher in the autistic population than in the control groups. Better linguistic skills appear to be linked to better creative performances. Linguistic tests, if compared with visual and performative tests, seem to favour the expression of originality in subjects with autism. Although our data on autistic traits are compatible with the hypothesis that a high level of autistic traits is a watered-down replica of the cognitive profile of subjects with autism, we have no sufficient data to support this hypothesis.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderCreativityHumansPsychometricsAutismAutistic traitsCreativityLanguageMeta-analysisOriginalityPsychopathologySystematic review

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.