Aphantasia & Autism: Why Some Autistic People Can’t Picture an Apple

🧠 Aphantasia & Autism: Why Some Autistic People Can’t Picture an Apple
Do you see vivid pictures when you close your eyes — or just blackness?
Do you struggle to visualise memories, imagine faces, or picture places?
You might be experiencing Aphantasia — a lesser-known trait that’s surprisingly common in Autistic adults.

Hi, I’m Phil — a late-diagnosed autistic adult and the creator behind @Autistic-Older-Adult. In this honest and educational video, I explore the mysterious world of Aphantasia, how it intersects with Autism, and what it means for imagination, memory, communication, and identity.

While we often hear about sensory sensitivity and emotional regulation in Autism, many of us don’t realise just how differently we might visualise — or not — the world inside our minds. In this video, I share my experience as someone with Aphantasia and dive into the science, misconceptions, and deeper neurodivergent links around this invisible cognitive difference.

👉 What You’ll Learn in This Video:

What is Aphantasia — and how is it different from just having a “poor imagination”?

The imagery spectrum: Aphantasia, Hypophantasia, Phantasia & Hyperphantasia

How Aphantasia is more common in Autistic adults

How it relates to Dyslexia, Synesthesia, Alexithymia & Face Blindness

How Aphantasia affects dreaming, memory, and problem-solving

Why Aphantasia isn’t a disorder — and might even be an adaptation

💡 If you’ve ever felt “blank” when asked to visualise something — or thought everyone else was exaggerating when they talked about vivid daydreams — this video might help you understand yourself in a whole new way. Aphantasia is real, often misunderstood, and deeply connected to the Autistic experience.

⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Visualisation Test: Close Your Eyes and Imagine an Apple
00:38 – What Did You See in Your Mind’s Eye?
03:10 – The Imagery Spectrum Explained
04:06 – How Common Is Aphantasia?
04:56 – Signs and Traits of Aphantasia
06:52 – Aphantasia and Autism
10:23 – Real-Life Impacts of Aphantasia
11:47 – My Experience of Mental Imagery
15:15 – Philosophical and Emotional Perspectives
15:39 – Aphantasia Is Not a Disorder

📎 Watch Next:
🔹 Alexithymia: Emotional Blindness in Autism    • Do I Have Alexithymia? Autistic Emotional ...  
🔹 Synesthesia & Autism: When Your Senses Cross Paths    • Do You See Sounds or Taste Words? | Autism...  
🔹Autism and Face Blindness: Prosopagnosia    • Autism & Face Blindness (Prosopagnosia) | ...  
📺 Understanding Autism – Full Playlist    • @Autistic-Older-Adult  

🧠 Take the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire (VVIQ): https://aphantasia.com/study/vviq/
Drop your score in the comments if you’d like to share — it helps others understand how varied mental imagery can be!

🔔 Subscribe for honest, neuro-affirming content about Autism, late diagnosis, cognitive diversity, sensory processing, and what it’s really like to be an Autistic adult navigating a neurotypical world.

💬 Do you have Aphantasia — or think you might?
Have you always wondered what people mean when they “picture” something in their minds?
Share your story in the comments — your experience might help someone else finally feel understood.

📧 Contact: [email protected]

🧠 Your imagination isn’t broken — it might just work in a different way than most people expect.

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