How we think

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I've talked to a few people who think only in words... It confused and shocked me to no end (and still does) because I almost never think in words. I think in pictures, feelings, and indescribable understanding. I think in the meaning behind the words, not the words themselves.

I wonder if this has anything to do with how good someone is at learning a foreign language. I took german in high school, and was very good at it (though I'm getting a bit rusty by now), and I never had any problems reading german or watching german movies and understanding it. I realize that anyone who thinks in words would have trouble with a language, because to be able to understand it, they would have to translate it into english!
I never translate german into english. I simply comprehend the meaning, and that meaning is all I need to think. I don't need words, so I don't need translation.

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I always thought everybody thought without words a lot of the time. I mean babies don't know words, and they definitely have thoughts.

Also, if you were queuing in the bank and a gunman ran in and started shouting "Everyone down on the floor!" would NTs seriously start thinking;
"Oh dear I'd better get down on the floor!" in words? - I don't think so - they'd just do it.

Also, body language experts know about micro expressions, where we might raise our eyebrows or look worried for just a split second, then quickly change our expression once we have registered what we heard. This could not happen as fast as it does if people thought in words. So I don't understand why some people think that thinking without words is exclusive to AS people.

With me it's the opposite; I have ADHD too and cannot speed read, not even a bit!
I have to say every word in my head, and didn't know for many years that other people could read a lot faster. I used to think people were cheating and missing lots of words out if I was sharing a book or magazine!

j0sh--I liked how you explained about knowledge being invisible and silent--that is how a lot of knowledge is for me, too. I find I know the answers to a lot of questions, but I can't explain to others why or how I know. It's just sort of there, waiting for me to articulate it. Maybe that is what is referred to as semantic memory.

I had an interesting conversation with two classmates today (both neurotypical, but with anxiety issues) about how we get ready for school in the morning. One of them said (as I understood it, anyway) that she hears her voice in her head telling her, "Now go brush your teeth," that sort of thing. Throughout the day, when thinking about what she should and shouldn't eat, the voice in her head says, "Now, don't eat that because it's fattening" and sometimes she does it anyway, sometimes not. The other girl said she experiences something similar.

That is not my experience whatsoever. I was asked how I know to brush my teeth and I had difficulty answering the question. Routine and rules, I guess. I don't think about doing these things, I just do them. I'm aware of doing them, but there are no words or memories in my head while it occurs, most of the time.

Is that how most neurotypicals think, I wonder? It sounds like a terribly noisy existence.

I think in pictures (visually) all the time. I translate words into pictures in my mind.