Episode Details

This is the episode Marcus has been dying to make for a long time now (at least three weeks). Marcus and Esme discuss bottom-up and top-down processing: two different thinking styles that influence how people take in information and make sense of the world around them. Even though most people are capable of both styles, neurodivergent people are more likely to engage in bottom-up processing, while neurotypical people are more likely to employ a top-down approach. At first glance, it might appear the differences in the two styles are a matter of personal preference. But Marcus and Esme take a deeper dive to explore how these differences impact communications between neurodivergent and neurotypical people, and contribute to some of the biases and misconceptions about neurodivergent students and workers. 

They also discuss the benefits of bottom-up thinking, and describe their experiences (some successful, some not) trying to position these benefits to their employers and coworkers. And, because this is top-down world, they share practical recommendations for developing skills across both thinking types.

Be sure to come back next week for Part 2: Saving top-down thinkers from themselves. Marcus and Esme will discuss the societal impacts of top-down thinking and its relation to both confirmation and optimism bias. They’ll also make the case for a world that values both thinking styles, and consider what it would take to enable such a world.

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Sources for this episode include:

• McCann, Sam. “Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Thinking: Why Autistic Brains Process the World Differently.” Green Coast Counseling, 2026, https://www.greencoastcounseling.com/green-coast-counseling-therapy-blog/top-down-vs-bottom-up-thinking-why-autistic-brains-process-the-world-differently. 

• Lee, Crystal I. “Bottom-Up Thinking and Autism: A Different Way of Processing the World.” LA Concierge Psychologist, 2020, https://laconciergepsychologist.com/blog/bottom-up-thinking-and-autism. 
• Main, Paul. “Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Processing: How Learners Think.” Structural Learning, 2026, https://www.structural-learning.com/post/top-down-processing-and-bottom-up-processing. 

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