Do Autistic People Lack Empathy? The Truth About Autism and Emotions

Описание: Have you ever been told that autistic people don’t feel empathy? You’re not alone — and it’s time to unpack that myth. In this episode of *Somewhere on the Spectrum*, Emma explores what empathy really means and why so many professionals still misunderstand how it works for autistic and ADHD adults.

In this video, you'll learn:
🧠 The 4 types of empathy — and how they show up differently in autistic people
💖 Why autistic people often feel too much empathy, not too little
🌍 What the "Double Empathy Problem" reveals about misunderstandings between neurotypes
📘 How trauma, masking, and alexithymia can change the way we express emotion
👂 Why hearing from autistic voices (not just professionals) matters so much

If you’ve ever been told you’re “too sensitive” or “not empathetic enough,” this video will help you see yourself — and your experiences — more clearly.

✨ Key Vocabulary:
Cognitive Empathy: the ability to understand another person's perspective
Emotional Empathy: the ability to feel what someone else feels
Empathetic Concern: the ability to sense what another person needs from you
Affective Empathy: emotionally resonating with others
The Double Empathy Problem: when we are empathetic towards others, but they are not able or willing to have empathy for us.

💫Definitions of Empathy
Cambridge Dictionary: the ability to share someone else's feelings or experiences by imagining what it would be like to be in that person's situation.
Merriam Webster Dictionary: the action of, and capacity for, understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts and experience of another.

💬 Join the community in the comments to share how you experience empathy. Are you someone who feels emotions deeply, or do you find it hard to tell what you’re feeling? Every experience adds to our shared understanding.

👍 Like, subscribe, and join us on Somewhere on the Spectrum for more autistic and ADHD-friendly conversations.

🎥Head to the Autistic Traits Playlist to learn about other ways autism impacts your life:    • Autism & ADHD Traits in Real Life: How You...  

📖References
For Cognitive, Emotional and Empathetic Concern: Ruth Farenga's Next Level Leadership quotes Dale Coleman's article 'The Focused Leader' in the Harvard Business Review.
For Affective Empathy, I quoted from the DSM-5's definition of autism via my Brave AI.

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