"The simple idea of an empathy deficit in autism is false. Recent research reveals that at least one type of empathy is associated with autistic traits. Further, processes that co-occur with autism-such as alexithymia and basic facial recognition strategies-might explain more about empathy in autistic people than the diagnosis itself. Empathy refers to the ability to identify, understand, and share the feelings, thoughts, or experiences of someone else. It involves recognizing another person's mental state and emotions and responding with care or compassion."
"A recent study in university students suggests that autistic adults might not have impaired empathy (Brett and colleagues, 2024). More autistic traits were associated with greater empathy for negative emotions. These results suggest that autistic adults may have a stronger response system than persons with fewer autistic traits to another person's distressing feelings, like sadness and anxiety. The authors concluded that it is a mischaracterization to say that autistic people have poor empathy."
Autistic adults are commonly misunderstood, and the assumption that they lack empathy is inaccurate. Different empathy types exist: cognitive empathy involves understanding another's thoughts, while emotional empathy involves feeling another's emotions. Research indicates at least one empathy type correlates with autistic traits, with greater traits linked to stronger responses to negative emotions such as sadness and anxiety. Co-occurring factors like alexithymia and facial-recognition strategies can influence empathic performance independently of autism diagnosis. Results align with the imbalance hypothesis: autistic traits associate with variations across empathy types rather than a global empathy deficit.
Read at Psychology Today
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