What role does emotion have in the life of someone with autism?

Question

I just find the whole disorder of autism hard to understand because I'm a really emotional person. I'm especially interested in how people with mild autism or Asperger's can function fine but then when it comes to feeling empathy they have such trouble. I guess my question is how such people experience emotion--are these people actually unable to care about others? My intention is not to sound ignorant, I'm genuinely curious.

Answer 1

"Are these people actually unable to care about others?"

No, that's sociopathy. Autism is entirely different.

And I'm a quite emotional person (though I'm also a quite logical person, the two aren't necessarily mutually exclusive) and I'm autistic. I also care about people a lot and don't lack empathy in the slightest. (I actually have to limit my social contact and conversation topics with others because I automatically feel the emotions I perceive others to have to a degree that lots of conversations become painful. I know other autistics (particularly autistic women) who are similar in this regard.) I often lack understanding, but once I do understand I care as much as anyone else!

Answer 2

autism is a primarily a brain disorder. new studies have revelaed that in the human brain, there are something called "mirror neurons" these neurons are responsible for the implementation of empathy. Studies with children with autism, show that although these mirror neurons are developed, the child with autism does not have the control or the will to apply these neurons. In a rudimentary sense, children with autism struggle to understand they're own place amongst others. In other words, if a child with autism came over and gave a person a hug right after they cried, they are most likely doing it in the essence of the "reward system" and not out of empathy. they are most likely doing it because they feel that if they wont, they will be either punished or ignored. Autism is a very complex disorder, and as I have worked with children with Autism i have learned that emotion is only one dimensional, although i have been surprised when sometimes the child will show empathy, this is merely random chance, about as random of a roll of the dice, the process is not integrated enough

Answer 3

Well i can only tell you my experience - i have an official dx of Asperger Syndrome.

i believe it varies considerably among autistics. Some autistic people experience strong emotion concerning things others wouldn't be 'emotional' about, like a special interest (insect larvae, trains, math equations, fantasy games, etc.)    Whereas when it comes to another person, yes some of them have trouble 'feeling' that person's emotion.

Empathy = feeling what the other person feels....feeling for someone

However, many autistics have a fondness for pets....they may develop a deep attachment to their pet. They can also form an attachment to another human being but it may be on their terms.  They have trouble reading social cues (facial expressions), so they often don't know how to respond to others.

EDIT: What the first person said about mirror neurons is right on. i know when conversing with someone, none of that is going on in my own brain - because i feel absolutely blank when talking to someone. My brain is like "huh?" when i'm supposed to be feeling a tinge of excitement or 'reaching out' emotion....but instead flat, maybe a little anxious.

Answer 4

I have asperger's and most everything for me is logically analyzed and I have a difficulty knowing what emotion goes with certain situations and how the emotion manifests itself within me.

Answer 5

People with autism spectrum disorders do have feelings and emotions. Many of us lack empathy, but that doesn't mean we don't care about others. For example when someone is really excited about something nice in their life, we may not get excited too. It's not that we don't care, it's just that we don't experience other people's emotions with them. I can be happy for them while not really understanding or feeling the excitement involved. We don't know exactly what the other person feels like and therefore we can hardly share in feeling those emotions with them. We also don't always express our emotions or we don't do it the same way as others.

I care about others, I just cannot always put myself in their shoes and feel what they are feeling.

I think it's also partly about us feeling emotions for different reasons than others. Many non-autistic people have trouble empathizing with me, so it's a two way road. They don't understand why I get upset about something that seems normal to them and therefore can't empathize, just like I cannot empathize with them when they get upset for reasons I don't understand.