Assessing Visual-Spatial Creativity in Youth on the Autism Spectrum

The goal of this study was to develop a measure of creativity that builds on the strengths of youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The assessment of creativity focused on the visual-spatial abilities of these youth using 3D modeling software. One of the objectives of the research was to devel...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Creativity research journal Vol. 26; no. 3; pp. 328 - 337
Main Authors: Diener, Marissa L., Wright, Cheryl A., Smith, Katherine N., Wright, Scott D.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Philadelphia Taylor & Francis Group 01.07.2014
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:
3-D graphics
Autism
Coding
Computer Simulation
Computer Software
Correlation
Correlation analysis
Creativity
Creativity Tests
Elementary School Students
Interrater Reliability
Measures (Individuals)
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Quantitative psychology
Scores
Spatial Ability
Studies
Validation studies
Visual Acuity
Youth
ISSN:1040-0419, 1532-6934
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The goal of this study was to develop a measure of creativity that builds on the strengths of youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The assessment of creativity focused on the visual-spatial abilities of these youth using 3D modeling software. One of the objectives of the research was to develop a measure of creativity in an authentic learning environment that built on the interests and creative talents of youth with ASD. Traditional creativity tests may underestimate the creativity of youth with ASD because of the tests' constrained nature, such as having a time limit, being limited to paper and pencil, testing in an over- or understimulating environment, and overlooking visual-spatial ability. A random selection of 27 student 3D design projects (out of approximately 100 projects) was assessed using dimensions of fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration. The validity of this assessment was examined by comparing the creativity scores of the 27 projects to the creativity scores given by a team of Google experts (3D designers and software engineers). Results indicated that the scores were significantly correlated for three of the four dimensions of the creativity assessment. There was high inter-rater reliability among coders (M = .82) using intra-class correlation (ICC). Results suggest that this assessment process could be used as a visual-spatial creativity measure for youth with ASD, as well as a creativity measure used by employers to determine real-world creative potential in their employees, particularly those with neurodiversity.
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ISSN:1040-0419
1532-6934
DOI:10.1080/10400419.2014.929421