I never realized how common this was among autistic people, but I have always had trouble recognizing faces and always sighed with relief when someone spoke … because I could recognize their voice right off the rip.

Put 10 faces of people I know casually in a row, bereft of identifiable hairstyle or clothes, and I’m going to struggle to recognize them.

But let them speak a few words, and I know them instantly.

I’ve never heard of top down and bottom up thinking, but it sure makes a lot of sense given some of my own experiences.