Cognitive vs. Emotional Empathy In Autistic Individuals

In this video I highlight the key differences between emotional and cognitive empathy, and discuss the misconception that autistic people are not capable of feeling empathy for others. Here are some links I found especially helpful:

"Who cares? Revisiting empathy in Asperger syndrome."
Rogers K, Dziobek I, Hassenstab J, Wolf OT, Convit A.

"Autism and the extraction of emotion from briefly presented facial expressions: Stumbling at the first step of empathy."
Clark, Tedra F.; Winkielman, Piotr; McIntosh, Daniel N.

"Differentiating Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Individuals with Asperger Syndrome"
Isabel Dziobek

[z.s.hughes]

This is the best explanation I have seen so far. Thank you for your detailed and factual explanation.

[savingpeace]

Thank you this helps me understand so much better. We should be hearing about the different types of empathy both cognitive and affective empathy so people who are close to someone with ASD and people with ASD themselves can understand what is going on when there’s a disconnect between what they feel and what they understand and how others can understand that just because someone has ASD does not mean they don’t have empathy. Important all round to get more videos like this out to the world who is quick to write off people with ASD and having no empathy which is not true

[NomNomVeggies]

Nice video! This has been something I always struggled to explain properly to people. One of my issues with empathy is I am more likely to respond with practical help (like offering to fix a person's computer or edit their resume) than appropriate verbal responses. I'm often too overwhelmed by their distress to respond properly with what words they want to feel better but approaching it from a practical angle is easy. And sometimes what I would find comforting is horrifying to NTs/non-autistics. (like crime statistics often reassure me I am not in danger, biology of composing bodies comforts me about death) The book "Say This, Not That: A Foolproof Guide to Effective Interpersonal Communication" by Carl Alasko gave me some helpful pointers on what to say in hard times and what to not say. (I do not know the author, just sharing a resource I found helpful)

[JChiibs]

One thing that frustrates me is I know in my life it's always been so highly emphasized that it is mandatory that expressing proper emotional reactions on a social level and how it is unacceptable if you don't do it. This is something I've tried very hard to emulate NT behavior on, and why I'm so drained after spending time with just my family. But the thing that really cheeses me off is when it is socially acceptable to completely ignore this 'rule', specifically small talk.

Often when people are trying to make small talk they say something like "How are you?" and yet they really don't care at all what I'm actually feeling, but instead I'm supposed to either lie and just say something nice, or if I do actually say how I'm feeling, the only clue I get that they really didn't care is a completely glazed over look in their eyes. Then I don't even know how to respond because it's obvious to me that I broke some silent social law or something and I have no way of backing out. (And then berating myself time and again for it later, sometimes for days.) It's no wonder I prefer to be by myself or most of my social interactions are online where faces aren't part of the equation.