Alexithymic and autistic traits in children and adolescents: A systematic review of the current state of knowledge.
Alexithymia hides inside autism but needs its own plan, because today’s youth tests are weak and parent-child reports rarely match.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Vaiouli et al. (2022) looked at every paper on alexithymia in autistic kids and teens. They wanted to see how common the problem is and what tools we use to find it.
The team pulled studies from big databases. They kept only papers that tested children or teens with autism.
What they found
Most tools for spotting alexithymia in youth are weak. Many rely on kids naming their own feelings, but autistic kids often can’t do that yet.
The review found no clear count of how many autistic youth have alexithymia. Studies use different tests, so numbers don’t match.
How this fits with other research
Griffin et al. (2016) showed autistic kids score much higher on alexithymia than typical peers. Parent and child answers rarely agreed, hinting that self-report tools may miss the true picture.
Ryan et al. (2021) saw the same mismatch in adults: self-ratings and observer-ratings did not line up. Together, these papers back the review’s warning that current tests can’t be trusted alone.
Fleury et al. (2019) went one step further. When they removed alexithymia from the data, autism alone no longer predicted low parent-child interaction. This supports the review’s call to treat alexithymia as its own target, not just part of autism.
Why it matters
You can’t fix what you can’t see. Because the best yardsticks we have are shaky, add quick alexithymia screens to your intake. Use both parent and child forms, then look for big gaps. When scores clash, plan emotion-skills teaching before social-skills drills. Early work on labeling body cues and feelings may spare older kids from bigger behavior problems later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In this study, we aim to explore the ability of autistic children to process emotions and respond to a range of feelings in relation to a triad of difficulties known as alexithymia, namely children's difficulties to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions. Alexithymia is common in autistic adults but we know very little about children. To understand this condition better, within a large group of studies, first we study the extent to which alexithymia difficulties are present in autistic children. In reviewing the literature, we also present the assessment measures implemented in each study, their limitations, and potential effects on our understanding of findings. This knowledge will help us understand the extent to which alexithymia is present in autistic children and how it may be related to their emotional difficulties. Also, it will allow us to further detect challenges early on in children's lives so that we recommend interventions that teach autistic children how to recognize, describe, and distinguish emotions in themselves and in others. Such interventions may include family members of autistic children to assist interactions with their child. Supporting children from an early age will help them develop skills that will ready them for school and life and it will enhance their ability to build supportive relationships and meet their fullest potential.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2022 · doi:10.1177/13623613211058512