Brief Report: Empathic Responsiveness of High Functioning Children with Autism to Expressed and Anticipated Distress.
High-functioning autistic kids aged 8-12 respond to others’ distress much like their typical peers—don’t assume lack of empathy.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Newbigin et al. (2016) watched high-functioning autistic kids aged 8-12 in a lab.
They compared how the kids reacted to an adult who looked hurt or about to get hurt.
The team also asked the kids what they felt and if they would help.
What they found
The autistic children showed the same concern and offered the same help as typical peers.
No group difference appeared in facial concern, heart rate change, or offers of comfort.
How this fits with other research
Simantov et al. (2024) later asked autistic teens to rate their own empathy.
The teens scored themselves lower than parents did, showing reports can differ.
Together the studies say: autistic youth feel empathy; they just may not label it the same way.
De Coster et al. (2018) added that imitation can boost empathy in autistic adults, hinting the skill can grow.
Why it matters
Do not assume a lack of caring when an autistic child seems quiet.
Use clear feeling words and model helping actions during your session.
If you need data, ask both the child and a parent; their answers may differ for good reasons.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →After a peer bump or spill, prompt the autistic child to label the feeling and offer a Band-Aid or kind word.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The majority of studies that have investigated empathic responsiveness of individuals with Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have used heterogeneous groups in terms of age, cognitive level and gender which significantly impact the results. Our aim in this study was to explore responsiveness of a more homogenous sample of 21 children with ASD and 17 typically developing controls, aged 8-12 years to both overt (or expressed) and anticipated distress. In the anticipated distress task, groups were not differentiated in their response towards the experimenter who had her drawing torn. In the expressed distress task, groups were again similar in expressing concern and acting prosocially towards an experimenter who pretended to lose her watch. The theoretical and clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2016 · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2862-x