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This is a good way of looking at it People on the spectrum aren't less empathic, they're lacking rituals which help hide one's lack of empathy
by __s 7y ago
This is a good way of looking at it
People on the spectrum aren't less empathic, they're lacking rituals which help hide one's lack of empathy
- optimuspaul 7y agoMy son is on the spectrum and I've observed that he doesn't have less empathy but he in fact has an overabundance of empathy to the point that it causes him to withdraw and he has learned to ignore his empathy because society is not accepting of how he engages with them. His empathy is not the problem, it is his ability to communicate with others that do not share his sensibilities.
- munificent 7y agoOh, dear, what a strange, cynical take. If you define "empathy" as "care very much about the feelings of others", then, yes, my experience is that people on the spectrum have no shortage of empathy. My daughter is a very warm-hearted person who intensely wants the people around her to feel good. But if you define it as "able to easily and correctly read the feelings of others", then, no, it really is a challenge for people on the spectrum. It's not that they don't want to hear the music, it's just that their radio doesn't tune into it very well.
- Fnoord 7y ago(Disclosure: I have ASD.) Just a FYI, I agree with your post and your parent, and I don't find them at odds; your post is complementary, and a nice addendum. Both of you describe an symptom of autism. It is important different symptoms of autism get described, and that the general public gets to understand these instead of tunneling on a few symptoms. No autistic person has the very same symptoms as severe in the very same way as the other.