An Expert Discussion on Autism and Empathy

Relevant and valid measurement is crucial in determining whether interventions and supports have improved the quality of life (QoL) of autistic people. However, it is possible that researchers' and services' use of general population QoL tools may overlook issues of specific importance. To advance methodology, we conducted a preliminary exploration of the need and basis for cross-cultural development of additional autism-specific QoL questions. Nine consultation groups with autistic adults (n = 38) were held in Argentina, Australia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom to examine the items of the World Health Organization QoL questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) and the WHOQOL Disabilities add-on module. Each group discussion was transcribed and analyzed thematically to identify missing issues and nuances of particular significance to autistic people. Themes seen as important and particularly relevant to QoL of autistic people included a positive autistic identity, other people's lack of understanding of autism, sensory issues, and autistic people's contributions to society. There were notable similarities across sites indicating that creation of cross-cultural autism-specific items is likely to be possible; the themes identified could inform the focus of items for measurement of QoL. This project represents an initial step toward fuller international consultation, and subsequent development of an autism-specific module for addition to the core WHOQOL model.

Section: Contributions To Othersmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is Important in Measuring Quality of Life? Reflections by Autistic Adults in Four Countries

McConachie

Wilson²,

Mason

et al. 2020

“…From this perspective, social interaction difficulties between autistic and nonautistic people are not reducible to a traditional social cognitive deficit model of autism (for a review of this argument, see Bottema-Beutel 11 ), but instead reflect a relational disjuncture in which dispositional and neurological differences between TD and autistic people contribute to distinct social norms, expectations, and modes of understanding. 10,12 FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF AUTISTIC ADULTS One implication of this framework is that autistic people may demonstrate enhanced social coordination and affiliation for autistic partners during interaction relative to TD partners, 13,14 a perspective that has generated some emerging empirical support. 11,[15][16][17] This study tests whether this extends to a first impression context by assessing whether autistic adults are evaluated more favorably by autistic relative to TD raters and examines whether knowledge of an autistic person's diagnosis affects evaluations differently for the two groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do First Impressions of Autistic Adults Differ Between Autistic and Nonautistic Observers?

DeBrabander

Morrison

Jones

et al. 2019

Self Cite

Background: Autistic adults receive unfavorable first impressions from typically developing (TD) adults, but these impressions improve when TD adults are made aware of their diagnosis. It remains unclear, however, how autistic adults form first impressions of other autistic adults, and whether their impressions are similarly affected by diagnostic awareness. Methods: In this study, 32 autistic and 32 TD adults viewed brief videos of 20 TD and 20 autistic adults presented either with or without their diagnostic status and rated them on character traits and their interest in interacting with them in the future. Results: Findings indicated that autistic raters shared the TD tendency to evaluate autistic adults less favorably than TD adults, but these judgments did not reduce their social interest for interacting with autistic adults as they did for TD raters. Furthermore, informing raters of the diagnostic status of autistic adults did not improve first impressions for autistic raters as they did for TD raters, suggesting that autistic raters either already inferred their autism status when no diagnosis was provided or their impression formation is less affected by awareness of a person's diagnosis. Conclusions: Collectively, these results demonstrate that autistic observers make trait inferences about autistic adults comparable with those made by TD observers-suggesting a similar sensitivity to perceiving and interpreting social signifiers that differ between TD and autistic presentation styles-but unlike their TD counterparts, these trait judgments are not perceived as an impediment to subsequent social interaction and are relatively consistent regardless of diagnostic disclosure.

“…More recent discussions of empathy, however, point to a lack of conceptual and empirical distinction between socio-cognitive constructs, such as empathy and mentalizing within the literature, 42 and raise the possibility-and resulting damageof misinterpretation of autistic behavior and understanding by nonautistic individuals. 33,43,44 The anthropomorphism experienced by most participants does not seem to be a form of social synesthesia, insofar as 15 participants did not find that their specific anthropomorphic associations were consistent across time. Only one participant (N16) reported that the attributions were highly stable (i.e., all objects elicited the same attributions over time).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

A Friendly Article: The Qualitative Investigation of Anthropomorphism in Autistic and Nonautistic Adults

Negri¹,

White

Remington³

2019

Background: Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to nonhuman agents. This common tendency is thought to be driven by a heightened motivation for social connection and may therefore be expected to be reduced in autistic individuals given that this group has been claimed to demonstrate reduced social motivation in some settings. However, the subject of anthropomorphism in autism has not been studied extensively, and online forums, autobiographical accounts, and recent research on the topic suggest that, contrary to this expectation, anthropomorphism is commonly experienced by autistic individuals. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight autistic and eight nonautistic adults, all who reported a tendency to anthropomorphize. We recorded, transcribed, and analyzed the interviews according to the thematic analysis framework with the objective of identifying similarities and differences in the lived experiences of anthropomorphism in autistic and nonautistic individuals. Results: Individuals in both groups described anthropomorphism as comforting, promoting a sense of safety and friendship with, and feelings of empathy and sympathy toward, nonhuman agents. Autistic individuals stressed the important role anthropomorphized agents played in their life, particularly when growing up: easing loneliness and helping develop an understanding of emotions and relationships. Participants also expressed negative aspects of the phenomenon, with both autistic and nonautistic individuals worrying about anthropomorphized agents' feelings and well-being. For some individuals, such thoughts and feelings caused distress and were experienced as intrusive due to their involuntary nature. Conclusions: Autistic and nonautistic adults showed very similar anthropomorphic patterns. Although preliminary in nature, our findings highlight characteristics of anthropomorphic experiences for autistic and nonautistic individuals, furthering our understanding of individual differences in social cognition. By illustrating the important role nonhuman agents may play in the lives of autistic individuals, our findings may also guide future research and practice.