VizThink Blog

Autism and Football?

What do autism and football have to do with each other?  How can we apply these lessons to our daily work?  On November 18th, we had the opportunity to ask these questions and many more to Laura Johnson from the University of Toledo.  Laura’s career has been very diverse from teaching autistic children to her current role as the academic advisor to the athletic department at the university.  It turns out that athletes have in common with autistic children.  They are both visual learners at a rate higher than the general population.  In this 22 minute, 22 second podcast, we cover a wide range of topics including:

What is autism?
How are athletes and autistic children similar?
Do other disciplines, other than athletes, tend to be highly visual?  
Can this technique apply to other disciplines?

Much has been written, especially on the web, about the relationship of visual thinking and autism, yet this is the first time we’ve talked about it publicly at VizThink.  Clearly, the topic is long over due.  Be sure to check out this very important podcast:

To learn more about the visual thinking lessons that can be learned from autism and football, be sure to attend VizThink ‘09 and check out Laura’s session.  The early registration deadline ends December 15.  So be sure to sign up now!