Brief report: cognitive processing of own emotions in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder and in their relatives.

Hill et al. (2004) asked high-functioning adults with autism and their relatives to fill out two short forms. One form measured alexithymia, the other measured depression.

The team compared the scores to healthy adults of the same age.

Adults with autism said they had much more trouble naming and describing their own feelings. They also reported higher depression than both the healthy adults and their own relatives.

Relatives scored in the middle—better than the autism group, but still worse than typical adults.

Ben Hassen et al. (2023) repeated the same alexithymia finding almost twenty years later, adding that poor body awareness also plays a role.

Porter et al. (2008) widened the lens: relatives of adults with autism also show raised rates of mood and anxiety problems, matching the family pattern hinted at in 2004.

Gadow et al. (2006) seems to disagree, showing that autistic children have normal body reactions to emotional pictures. The gap is age, not truth: kids feel emotions physically but cannot yet talk about them; adults lose the words and the feelings both.

If you work with verbal adults on the spectrum, do not assume they can tell you what they feel. Add quick alexithymia and depression screens to your intake. When clients say “I’m fine,” probe with specific choices (“Are you angry, sad, or tired?”) and watch body cues. Catching these hidden mood problems early can stop bigger crises later.