Autistic People Lack Empathy? I'd Like to Dispute That 

A couple of months ago, during a random snoop on Twitter, I came across a post which both greatly interested me. It was from another profile which I happen to be following on the platform. But it's what was said that caught my attention, and for a few reasons. It was to do with the Autistic Spectrum and the ability to understand and feel emotions, or rather the lack of it. Now first and foremost there's a few reasons why this got my attention;

- I myself am Autistic (Asperger Syndrome) and I presume that the person who made the post is to

- People on the Autistic Spectrum can display and feel emotions. As someone who both lives with the condition and works in a profession supporting those on the Spectrum. I've seen numerous individuals actually display emotions 

- I to can cry and the last time I can recall doing this is back in one of my previous employments when I was putting up with bullying behaviour from people in HR (see my blog; https://adamjhumphreys.com/ This Time Last Year)

One of the connotations, or at least the so-called 'beliefs' that I have always found myself asking is why people seem to have this preconceived idea that people on the Autistic Spectrum don't have the capability to understand human emotions, let alone experience them. Whenever I hear about this I always find myself asking if the person themselves had had much contact with various individuals with the condition, or better still observed them in different environments which tested them emotionally?

I strongly suspect that the answer is no but before you say that I'm making a pretty notion about the way others are thinking let me make something very clear.

I am merely challenging a 'belief' by groups of people about an ideology they have regarding those with neurological disorder for which they themselves cannot be 100% with the facts.

According to an online survey I read recently in regards to the subject people on the Spectrum can sense emotional feelings but can be prone to misinterpretation. Some will even express their own by copying those of others 

Something that I found interesting was a report. I read on Scientific America which was made over 6 years ago back in 2016. Where argued that there was a line between Autism and Alexithymia. The piece was made by Rebecca Brewer and Jennifer Murphy. In the article they openly discuss that people with the condition are capable of feeling emotions. But just have varying degrees of difficulty in displaying them 

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-with-autism-can-read-emotions-feel-empathy1/

This sentiment was also mentioned in a different report by a London-based writer, Sebastian Gaigg. He also wrote an article about it in The Conversation. His article was produced with research that was conducted with the Autism Research Group

https://theconversation.com/people-with-autism-dont-lack-emotions-but-often-have-difficulty-identifying-them-25225

Let me give you a few examples. A few years ago I did a brief stint as a Child Support Worker. I did a shift at a children's home. One of the children was on the Autistic Spectrum and on one occasion had a lash out moment. This came about because another one of the children began to display challenging behaviour eg, shouting, swearing, throwing objects. This created what I have frequently as a Domino Affect. Meaning that because one of the children began to act in an aggressive manner. It caused the other child to copy the behaviour and act in the same way.

Now let's remember that one of the children was Autistic and because one child acted aggressively. It caused them to become distress and express themselves in an identical fashion eg, shouting, throwing objects. 

Distress and Anger are emotions and they were the one's that the child displayed. So the question that a lot of these so-called experts need to ask themselves is? if an individual with Autism is supposedly incapable of understanding emotions, let alone express it. That how can you explain what I've just mentioned?

As I have before in my previous columns I myself am Autistic. And within the past 6 years I've expressed a wide range of emotions. I've deal with anger, hope, joy, disappointment, despair, upset and anxiety. Now if I am someone who has a condition in which I am not supposed to understand any form of human emotion. let alone express it, would you care to explain everything that I have just mentioned in this column piece?

I openly admit that even though I'm not an expert in the subject of Autism and Emotions. I certainly don't pretend to be one either. However, I will certainly challenge someone who claims to be an expert on the WHOLE subject. And who'll happily tell me otherwise 
https://whatson.guide/autism-and-the-inability-to-empathies/