Autism

          Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, face challenges in learning about empathy. I shall begin by articulating what empathy means.

          Empathy is divided into 3 types: affective empathy, somatic empathy, and cognitive empathy. Affective empathy is about relating to someone’s emotions and responding accordingly, somatic empathy entails a physical response, while cognitive empathy is about knowing what the person is thinking (Cherry, 2020), and studies have shown that autistic children have challenges in these skills (Kassotaki, 2020).

          Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that inhibits a child’s social capabilities, and it is called a spectrum because symptoms, abilities, and functioning vary from child to child (American Psychological Association, 2020), and it is not a dysfunction of one part of the brain, but rather a disorder of neural networks (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2012).

          Children with autism are unable to show or understand social cues. A lack of social receptiveness is present, so even if the child is hugged, which is a gesture of love, the child does not respond as other children would (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2012). Autistic children are not concerned whether they are alone or with others, and they are unable to perceive and express emotions, or build bonds with others, just like typically developing children (Heward, 2017). However, some autistic children have empathy, but for those who lack, it is due to underdeveloped skills, because empathy requires cognitive and emotional functioning, and they do not work together well as compared to typically developing persons (Rudy, 2020).

          Autistic children might be more interested in objects rather than humans, and their responses towards adults are not differentiated, regardless of their relationship, and even with language, they are more likely to imitate the speech rather than respond appropriately (Hallahan, Kauffman, & Pullen, 2012). The way autistic children show emotions is different from typical children, but it is inaccurate to say that they lack empathy or cannot identify emotions, because a condition called alexithymia causes children to lack empathy or unable to focus on facial expressions, not autism (Brewer & Murphy, 2016). There is still ambiguity whether autism itself causes a lack of empathy, because some autistic individuals have alexithymia, and that prevents them from knowing their own emotions, let alone understand emotions of others (Taylor, Livingston, & Shah, 2019).

          It is rare for an autistic child to show any progression, without the help of meticulously planned curriculum (Heward, 2017). Empathy itself is already a difficult concept for typical children, and for autistic children, though they learn it late, it is possible for them to learn empathy with therapy, to help them see beyond themselves (OConnor, 2020). Hence, the role of educators in the special needs field is pertinent for their holistic development.

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder. Retrieved from American Psychological Association: https://www.apa.org/topics/autism

Brewer, R., & Murphy, J. (2016, July 13). People with Autism Can Read Emotions, Feel Empathy. Retrieved from Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-with-autism-can-read-emotions-feel-empathy1/

Cherry, K. (2020, May 2). What Is Empathy? Retrieved from Verywell Mind: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-empathy-2795562

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2012). Exceptional Learners- AN INTRODUCTION TO SPECIAL EDUCATION (Twelfth Edition). New Jersey: PEARSON.

Heward, W. L. (2017). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education. United States of America: PEARSON.

Kassotaki, A. (2020). Teaching Empathy Skills to Children With Autism. Retrieved from upbility: https://upbility.net/blogs/news/104213319-teaching-empathy-skills-to-children-with-autism

OConnor, E. F. (2020, July 24). What My Daughter on the Autism Spectrum Has Taught Us About Empathy. Retrieved from yahoo!life: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/daughter-autism-spectrum-taught-us-184553730.html

Rudy, L. J. (2020, April 20). How Autism May Affect Sympathy and Empathy. Retrieved from Verywell Health: https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-people-with-autism-lack-empathy-259887

Taylor, E., Livingston, L. A., & Shah, P. (2019, June 7). Autism is linked to lower levels of empathy – but that may not be a bad thing. Retrieved from The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/autism-is-linked-to-lower-levels-of-empathy-but-that-may-not-be-a-bad-thing-118359