Autism and Empathy

"Empathy is the ability to understand and be sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of another. It is a common stereotype that autistic people do not have empathy. This stereotype is false and not backed up by the latest research. Unfortunately, because this concept was taught as fact for decades, many professionals still believe this concept to be true, and the idea that autistic people do not have empathy is often used against autistic people."

"For example, I have seen individuals who were told by clinical psychologists during neuropsychological testing that they could not be autistic because they have empathy, despite otherwise qualifying for the diagnosis. In my 20 years of practice with autistic people of all ages, I have worked with individuals whose empathy presents in unusual or atypical ways, but I have never met an autistic individual who had zero empathy."

"For example, I once had an autistic teen tell me that while they cared about their family, they didn't really care about anyone else because "Why should I care about people I don't know? I will never see them again." While this person certainly had a lack of empathy for strangers, they were incredibly empathetic towards their family members, especially their autistic, nonspeaking sibling who they often supported with coregulation strategies when the sibling was experiencing meltdowns."

Empathy involves understanding and sensitivity to others' feelings, thoughts, and experiences. The stereotype that autistic people lack empathy is false and unsupported by current research, yet persists among professionals due to decades of teaching. Some autistic people show selective empathy, deeply caring for family but not strangers, while many others experience extreme, overwhelming empathy called hyper-empathy that can cause significant distress. Clinicians have sometimes denied autism diagnoses based on perceived empathy, despite other criteria being met. Empathy in autistic people often presents in atypical or situational ways rather than as absence of feeling. The double empathy problem likely contributes to misinterpretations.

Read at Psychology Today