Going 'above and beyond': are those high in autistic traits less pro-social?

Jameel et al. (2014) asked college students to complete questionnaires about autistic traits. Then they watched how often each student offered help or shared in two short lab games. They also asked students how good or bad each choice felt to them.

The team compared students who scored high on autistic traits with those who scored low. No one got training or coaching; the study simply watched natural choices.

Students high in autistic traits came up with fewer kind or helpful moves. When they did pick a self-focused option, they reported feeling more satisfied with that choice than their low-trait peers did.

In plain words, the higher the trait score, the less "pro-social" the behavior and the better self-interest felt.

Pahnke et al. (2014) seems to say the opposite. They ran a six-week ACT group with high-functioning teens diagnosed with ASD. After the group, parents saw more pro-social acts, not fewer. The clash disappears when you notice Johan gave training and used diagnosed teens, while Leila watched untrained college students with only high trait scores.

Callanan et al. (2021) keeps the same college-trait sample but shifts the lens. They show that high-trait students who score high on self-compassion have less anxiety and depression. Together the papers map both the social gap (Leila) and a possible internal buffer (John).

Hillier et al. (2018) turn the problem into action. Knowing that autistic university students often struggle socially, they ran a weekly peer-support curriculum. Students felt less lonely and more socially confident. The line from Leila’s snapshot to Ashleigh’s program shows: identify the deficit, then build the support.

If you work with college students, don’t assume a high AQ score means "won’t help." It means "needs structure to see the social payoff." Try adding labeled praise when the student offers a pencil, holds a door, or gives a compliment. Track these moments for a week; you may see the same boost Ashleigh found when support is explicit and peer-based.