Temple Grandin's 3 ways of thinking

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I saw a video of Temple Grandin speaking in which she said that there are 3 ways of thinking by people on the autism spectrum:
1. Visual/in pictures
2. Pattern thinking or mathematical
3. Verbal

What do you think of the idea of creating 3 different categories for autistic thought? I reflected about myself and I'm unsure whether or not I smoothly fit into any of these categories. I think I might think in patterns, but I've never really viewed myself as a very mathematical person.

Also, how is NT thinking supposed to be different than the thinking of people on the autism spectrum?

They are interesting, but I wouldn't take them too rigidly.

I would want to know what research - particularly large-scale studies - lay behind these three types.

For what it is worth, I fit into the mathematics group and probably also into the verbal one. I don't have anything that special by way of visual thinking.

Still having three types is better than thinking that everyone is the same (one) type, which is a common reaction - or else thinking everyone falls into two types: "like me" and "weird".

I'm a visual, pattern and auditory type. Not so much on the verbal and mathematical. I think the types go way beyond the autistic spectrum though, they might be more intense though because our skills are usually a lot stronger and our many abilities are less balanced than NT's are. Meaning we have strengths in some areas and weaknesses in others.

Anbuend posted an extensive list of thinking types that go well beyond Temple Grandin's three styles, but I can't seem to find it.

I dunno, I know have an easy time with any visual material or complex 3d shapes. I also tend to remember more instructions written than spoken. But at the same time I have an easier time remembering voices than names - or even faces, same for nuances in songs vs details in pictures. Then again I also seem to see patterns other people miss. When I daydream it's both auditory and visual, same for dreaming or any other thinking. I have no idea where I should place myself in those three categories.

I'm not so sure about these divisions. I am definitely a verbal thinker, but I have no trouble thinking in mathematical terms either. I am weak at visual thinking, though.

People on the spectrum tend to have greater 'visual spacial' intelligence than NTs, that is being able to see and manipulate shapes, patterns, colours etc in a logical problem solving way.
I'm definitely more of a pattern and visual thinker, my verbal processing isnt so good though.

I think in pictures almost all of the time. Am quite schooked to fine that most people don't

Temple Grandin seems to think in categories too much. There's no other way a person could interview hundreds of autistic people (which is what she did) and only come up with three types of thinking. I'll try to find what I posted before but no guarantees.

These corrolate to the styles of learning educators are taught in most teacher degree programs. I'm not so sure they relate to the autistic alone.

This link has a decent - and brief - over view of the different styles. Just don't try to take the learning style test - it's a paid service:

http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.MI.htm

Seems like NTs would be more well rounded.

I am almost *solely* an auditory thinker, I think that fits in with verbal.