Who cares? Revisiting empathy in Asperger syndrome.

Rogers et al. (2007) asked adults with Asperger syndrome to fill out two empathy questionnaires. One measured cognitive empathy (reading others’ thoughts). The other measured affective empathy (feeling others’ feelings).

A same-age group without autism also completed the forms. The team then compared the two sets of scores.

Adults with Asperger syndrome scored lower on cognitive empathy. Yet their scores for concern and personal distress matched or topped the control group.

In plain words: they care, but they don’t always guess what others are thinking.

Three years earlier Baron-Cohen et al. (2004) used the same Empathy Quotient and reported a broad empathy deficit. The 2007 study re-examines that claim and shows the deficit is limited to the cognitive piece.

Sheppard et al. (2016) flipped the lens: neurotypical viewers misread autistic facial cues. Together these papers suggest social breakdown is two-way, not an autistic flaw alone.

Brewer et al. (2023) later found autistic adults know the right empathic response; they just feel less confident doing it. This extends the 2007 nuance from ability to self-efficacy.

Stop teaching clients to feel more. They already care. Instead, teach them how to decode facial cues, tone, and context. Use video models, pause-and-predict clips, or AI chat practice like Koegel et al. (2025). When you see flat affect, don’t assume cold hearts; check if the client simply missed the social cue.