We all have some personal experience of using both sides simultaneously. For example, when reading a book, sometimes my mind will wonder while I'm reading. Maybe you've noticed this yourself. I have found three situations. The first situation is ideal. The other two are a bit annoying.
In all three situations, I could describe it as "Something in the back of my head." My dominant cognitive process is "in front" and my less dominant cognitive process is "in back."
My dominant cognitive process is analytical. My non-dominant cognitive process is more intuitive. They work together, most of the time.
So imagine, everything you do is completely intuitive, and in the back of your mind, that's where your analytical side is. That's my guess as to the inner state of someone with severe autism.
Imagine getting through life with your intuitive side being dominant. Normally, it's a passenger, giving you hints here and there. But in this case, it's front-and-center.
I believe it extends the time it takes to learn something when you can only use an intuitive thought process. At least, it does outwardly. It is likely that the learning process becomes complicated and appears hindered.
In reality, it's the normal time for intuitive thought to grasp an idea. But in this case, since it's the dominant aspect of the personality, this normally hidden delay seems obvious.
Also, imagine the frustration that the non-dominant, analytical side experiences. Typically, it takes command, but here, it's the passenger. The analytical side is probably saying to itself, "Yeah, I get this, why can't I just do it? Come on!"
I think this also explains non-verbal autism. When the roles aren't reversed, the analytical side is in charge of speech. The intuitive side can be mute. But in the case of severe autism, the analytical side has to do all of the talking.
I know not everyone with autism manifests this way. That's why it's described as a spectrum. But in the case of severe autism, I think this holds up.
