Understanding Procedural Memory and Its Dance with Autism

Procedural Memory and Implicit Memory

Procedural memory is a type of long-term memory responsible for knowing how to perform tasks. This memory system allows us to carry out activities without conscious thought once they become automatic through repetition. Procedural memory falls under the category of implicit memory, which refers to unconscious memories that influence our behaviors and skills. Examples of procedural memory include riding a bike, typing on a keyboard, and following scripts in customer service roles.

Key Studies on Procedural Memory and Autism

Research has explored the role of procedural memory in autism, revealing some complexities. For instance, the Procedural Deficit Hypothesis (PDH) suggests that procedural memory deficits might contribute to the language and cognitive difficulties observed in autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders. However, studies show mixed results on whether the structural differences in brain regions involved in procedural memory significantly differ between autistic individuals and neurotypical individuals.

One key finding is that while autistic individuals may take longer to learn procedural tasks, once learned, these tasks can become just as automatic as in neurotypical individuals. This suggests that procedural memory, once established, functions effectively in autistic individuals, even though the initial learning process might be more challenging due to other cognitive factors.

Communication and Cognitive Challenges

One significant challenge for autistic individuals is understanding instructions that contain implied steps. Non-autistic communication often assumes shared understanding and omits certain steps, expecting individuals to infer them. This can lead to confusion and frustration for autistic individuals who interpret information more literally and need explicit details to understand and follow instructions accurately.

The irregular connectivity in the autistic brain means that the implied steps are not inherently known, and much effort is needed to figure them out. Every encounter with such instructions requires additional cognitive processing to decode the missing information. This issue is prevalent because most instructional materials and communications are designed with neurotypical assumptions, leaving autistic individuals to fill in the gaps on their own.

Cognitive Load Theory

Cognitive Load Theory explains that our working memory has limited capacity, and when it is overloaded, our ability to process information and perform tasks diminishes. For autistic individuals, the need to infer missing steps from instructions significantly increases cognitive load. This extra processing required to understand what neurotypical individuals might assume is evident can be exhausting and hinder efficient learning.

Despite these challenges, autistic individuals often develop excellent procedural memory once they have figured out all the steps, even those that were not communicated. This ability to automate tasks can be seen as a strength, allowing for high proficiency in activities that have been thoroughly learned and practiced.

I will add, that once a procedure is learned, I then work on perfecting it to maximum efficiency and hundred percent accuracy. I do not like to waste time. I was top performer at my sales/customer service card services employment for a few years. It took me a year and a really good manager who clearly communicated not only her expectations , but the steps required to achieve it in detail for me. I am a very loyal employee. I will work, sick, tired, dead, you name it if I am treated right and she did. A very kind woman. Then when the mortgage crises occurred I had to learn underwriting, and I perfected that as well. The worlds instructions are terrible and non autistics speak very ambiguously in general. You can do the math.

Conclusion

Understanding the nuances of procedural memory and implicit learning in autism helps highlight the importance of clear, detailed communication. By recognizing the need for explicit instructions and reducing the reliance on implied steps, we can better support autistic individuals in learning and performing tasks efficiently. Moreover, acknowledging the extra cognitive load faced by autistic individuals underscores the need for accommodations that facilitate smoother and more effective learning processes.

I actually stopped reading instructions because non-autistics makes things so confusing with their top down processing, so their instructions and manuals reflect that. Ikea’s instructions I can understand just find, however I still make a game of it and see how far I can go before I fuck something up. I always do something wrong and I always get mad at myself about it every time. I perform a lot of experiments at home just for my personal pleasure of data collecting.

and one more thing-

How can these studies be accurate if y’all can communicate clearly enough for us to understand? Hellooooooo…McFly….. I really hope you all are starting to see how ridiculous it is that people look at us strangely- are sure we are the problem? I don’t think so…… I think non-autistics are projecting….. ***Insert eye roll here**