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A Radical New Autism Theory
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A groundbreaking study suggests people with autism-spectrum disorders such as Asperger’s do not lack empathy—rather they feel others’ emotions too intensely to cope.
People with Asperger’s syndrome, a high functioning form of autism, are often stereotyped as distant loners or robotic geeks. But what if what looks like coldness to the outside world is in fact a response to being overwhelmed by emotion—an excess of empathy, not a lack of it?
This idea resonates with many people suffering from autism-spectrum disorders and their families. It also jibes with new thinking about the nature of autism called the “intense world” theory. As posited by Henry and Kamila Markram of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, suggests that the fundamental problem in autism-spectrum disorders is not a social deficiency, but rather an hypersensitivity to experience, which includes an overwhelming fear response.
“I can walk into a room and feel what everyone is feeling. The problem is that it all comes in faster than I can process it.”
“There are those who say autistic people don’t feel enough,” says Kamila Markram. “We’re saying exactly the opposite: They feel too much.” Virtually all people with ASD report various types of oversensitivity and intense fear. The Markrams argue that social difficulties of those with ASDs stem from trying to cope with a world where someone has turned the volume on all the senses and feelings up past 10. If hearing your parents’ voices while sitting in your crib felt like listening to Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music on acid, you, too, might prefer to curl in a corner and rock.
But of course, this sort of withdrawal and self-soothing behavior—repetitive movements, echoing words or actions and failing to make eye contact—interferes with normal social development. Without the experience other kids get through ordinary social interactions, children on the spectrum never learn to understand subtle signals.
Phil Schwarz, a software developer from Massachusetts, is vice president of the Asperger’s Associaton of New England and has a child with the condition.
“I think that it’s a stereotype or a misconception that folks on spectrum lack empathy,” he says. Schwarz notes that autism is not a unitary condition—“if you’ve seen one Aspie, you’ve seen one Aspie,” he says, using the colloquial term. But he adds, “I think most people with ASD feel emotional empathy and care about the welfare of others very deeply.”
So why do so many people see a lack of empathy as a defining characteristic of ASD? The problem starts with the complexity of empathy itself, which has at least two critical parts: The first is simply the ability to see the world from the perspective of another. The second is more emotional—the ability to imagine what the other is feeling and care about their pain as a result.
The fact that autistic children tend to develop the first part of empathy—which is called “theory of mind”—later than other kids was established in a classic experiment. Children are asked to watch two puppets, Sally and Anne. Sally takes a marble and places it in a basket, then leaves the stage. While she’s gone, Anne takes the marble out and puts it in a box. The children are then asked: Where will Sally look first for her marble when she returns?
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Maia Szalavitz writes about the intersection between mind, brain and society for publications like Time online, the New York Times, Elle and MSN Health. She is co-author, most recently of Lost Boy, the first memoir by a young man raised in Mormon fundamentalist polygamy, Brent Jeffs. She is Senior Fellow at Stats.org, a media watchdog organization.
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Maia Szalavitz writes about the intersection between mind, brain and society for publications like Time online, the New York Times, Elle and MSN Health. She is co-author, most recently of Lost Boy, the first memoir by a young man raised in Mormon fundamentalist polygamy, Brent Jeffs. She is Senior Fellow at Stats.org, a media watchdog organization.
I am likely an Asperger's sufferer. I have often noted that I felt like a "canary in a mine" when it came to realizing the true nature and fears of other people. I have found that my sensitivity is often greeted with derision and fear when I make the mistake of expressing my concerns. Further, I find myself going to extremes to avoid disputes or confrontations among my colleagues. I have developed a rule that I am obliged to pass on favors I have received and to be the end of bad behavior I have experienced.
What? I wasn't paying attention to you. You do seem really special and unique, though.
scough-
Keep living small
It suits you.
This explains it! I have Aspergers, and most likely so does my 3 year old son. This article makes perfect sense to me. People often tell me I have no empathy and for years I've held a quote from Nathaniel West in my mind, almost as a talisman to those who tell me that I don't care about others. "Feeling is of the heart and nerves and the crudeness of its expression has nothing to do with its intensity."
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This comment has been removed by The Daily Beast's editors.
Classic projection.
Take a deep breath scough.
Variety is the spice of life.
Hey, scough, you're about 12 years old, right? Do your parents know you're screwing around here instead of doing your homework?
As a special education teacher, I have never truly felt that children with an autism spectrum disorder aren't feeling, but was never able to put it as well as Ms. Szalavitz has here. I am very interested in reading the Markram's research. This may be that missing puzzle piece we've been looking for in the treatment, education, and care of children and adults with ASD.
Could someone please tell me if people with Aspergers dislike physical intimacy? Do they dislike it, or just not need it?
Thank you for your help.
Although I'm not "officially" diagnosed as having aspergers, I have many of the symptoms. I am female and I love and crave physical intimacy. It's *emotional* intimacy that I shy away from.
My ex-husband wanted physical intimacy very much, but he couldn't tolerate it. If we were in an intimate situation and I touched him, or moved in any way, he would find it so overwhelming that he had to stop completely. Physical contact would instantly become so overwhelming that it truly felt painful for him. The emotional connection might have been too much, as well, but we did not talk much about that. His wanting physical intimacy did nothing to help, because he couldn't physically tolerate it. It took years, and quite a long time working with a specialist in Aspergers, for me to figure out this was not about me - nor even the sometimes awful things he would say about me to explain his behavior - but actually about acute sensory overload for him. Mostly, from my perspective, it was heartbreaking and something I could do nothing to help without his cooperation.
It's as indiviual as anyone else's likes and dislikes. Some do and some don't. And may I suggest that scough change his name to scourge? I hate to wish a pox on his children and I guess it would be redundant anyway. Honestly though...it's exactly this kind of small-mindedness that makes school a misery for these kids and makes any attempt at social interaction just fraught with peril for them. People can be, and often are, so intentionally cruel, never mind when they are just unfeeling or speak without thinking. Having a kid on the spectrum really does show you who's who and what's what and it's not pretty very often. We're miserable conformists, by and large, and just want to knock the corners off every little square peg. It's very, very painful to watch as a parent. You can't wrap them in cotton wool but you sure do spend a lot of time wishing for instant karma.
This new research is a godsend!
My 8 year old son is has Asperger's and has a lot of trouble adjusting at school and getting along with classmates. But at home it is eerie and uncanny how well he understands my and my husbands slightest emotional shift. Its like he reads minds. However whenever I mention this to his teachers or the school psychologist they brush me off.
I have always felt that there is more to Asperger's ,and although it has many overlapping characteristics, is a completely different disorder than Autism.
If you have never heard of Asperger's before today check out aspergersyndrome.org.
Aspies generally do not like to be touched and are extremely oversensitive to clothing. For example my son will not wear pants with a metal zipper because he feels that when he reaches into his fly the metal teeth are ripping the skin of his hands. And he has to wear a button down shirt because even putting on a polo shirt (buttons open) will cause he to scream, "Its ripping my ears off!"
They are also extremely resistant to even the slightest change in routine and many carry out senseless rituals.
Albert Einstein was believed to have had Asperger Disorder--there are many photos of him meeting dignitaries in sweatpants and slippers. If you want to see Asperger's in action Cycle 9 of America's Next Top Model featured a girl with Aperger's .
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I didn't say I had Asperger's , I said my son has been diagnosed with it. And since you are such a skeptic I'll add that he was diagnosed by a major medical institution--I didn't just pull a diagnosis out of my ass.
You however clearly have an anger issue.
Asperger's is a very complicated disorder. I know about 20 adults and children who have it. The author is right, if you've met one Aspie, you've met one Aspie.
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Like you say, there is more to Aspergers....my son never had sensitivity to clothing and has no problem with changing routine, but he is super-sensitive about haircuts, cutting nails, bumps and scrapes, etc. He also is extremely perceptive about people and their moods, emotions, etc. When he was two, he WILLED himself to learn body language by questioning me incessantly about every tiny gesture I or others made. He gets a new fixation every six months or so.....but in this article, the reference to senses struck me - my 7 year old can see really well(medically verified above norm), can smell and identify 50 different spices (example), can hear noises that are barely perceptible...it is truly amazing. And he is super sensitive to violence, fairy tales with harsh circumstances. He likes to watch the news, but really worries about everyone when he sees storms, earthquakes, etc.
Lots of this is related to 'rainbow' children and crystal ' children.
Indigos have already been born and are more tough but crusade against injustices, etc. This new 'wave' of children is so sensitive most are classified as being autistic, ADHD, etc and it is wrong. Google it, too much to write here. Some new age pap to wade through but some sites offer hopeful info and tips for parents for kids like this. This article seems to touch on much of the same principles. Doreen Virtue has some theories on this. And don't pooh pooh it before you read about it. Too many kids now are getting this misdiagnosis and it's worth looking into especially as parents.
Let me condense every comment here: "I don't really have Aspeger's, but blah-be-de-blah, blah, blah. I still think I am very special, and must share this fereling with an uncaring world. Oh! And by the way, I think my kid has a peanut allergy or some other blah-be-de blah, blah, blah condition."
Sorry, "feeling".
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Darling man( and you are obviously male), please go back to the icky place where you fester. The rest of us have bigger fish to fry. I find you, in fact, very special indeed and am deeply grateful that most of humanity isn't capable of producing this much bile. But since you seem to feel so deeply about this issue and enjoy belittling our children, won't you share your real name with us all? Anonymity tends to bring out the best in folks.
Emotionally this comment is at about a seven year olds level.
don't you love it when people complain about asinine comments with a comment that's more asinine than all the others combined?
scough, next time you have a thought, just let it go..
don't you love it when people complain about asinine comments with a comment that's more asinine than all the others combined?
scough, next time you have a thought, just let it go..
For the last two years I have had the privilege of learning about autism. The Father's Heart Ministry was developed simply to help families with autistic children. They not only had a worship service designed for them but also developed a school to help them in a learning process. I recall two boys, 5 and 6 years of age who when I first met them gave me no response nor would even hold my hand. They just lived in this little world. The school hired a young lady that worked with these kids intimately. By the time six months had passed they were smiling and waving hello or good-by. I spent time with them on the play ground and walked them both to their classroom most days. At times they would come into my office smile and hold my hand. Though they never really spoke audible words they did communicate in other ways. I was saddened to hear that our state government decided to cut the funding for these children and the school. I think it is one of the issues we need to discuss in our educational process. As for the local churches I think it would be in their best interest to develop ministries to help families dealing with autistic children.
Judging from this article, I don't think that the author understands the concept of empathy herself. Empathy is the ability to understand what another is feeling. The examples that the author gives more accurately illustrate a form of narcissism, which is concerned with a difficulty in distinguishing between the self and external objects.
Take for example, this statement, "If someone else is upset, I am upset. There were times during school when other people were misbehaving, and if the teacher scolded them, I felt like they were scolding me." If a teacher were to scold me, I would likely feel rejected. However, I can imagine that another student, could be feeling triumphant that they got a rise out of the teacher (for example). Just because I might be upset in a similar situation - doesn't mean that that is what the other person is feeling. The feelings that the commentator is experiencing have nothing to do with the feelings the student who is being scolded is experiencing and so are not empathetic.
What one is able to say is that people on the autistic spectrum experience a lot of feelings and can be paralyzed by the force of them. This is indeed a painful place to be, and they certainly would benefit from assistance in learning to process their feelings etc.
However, while I agree with the author that people on the autistic spectrum might well be overwhelmed by emotion, she is not correct to equate this with empathy. Further, to then postulate that the result is "an excess of empathy, not a lack of it" is frankly (IMO) dangerous. It is denying the true nature of the problem.
Excellent post. I agree with you that the article seemed to be confusing. I think we can guess at others' feelings but can't know them without asking them. In fact, I think it is disrepectful and narcissistic to assume you know another's feelings.
Some children with Aspberger's may exhibit narcissistic traits where they have difficulty processing their own feelings and cannot acknowledge those of others? Or they may have borderline personality traits where they get lost in a confusion of their own feelings plus an empathy for others at the same time?
Tjis is so frustrating for me because apparently only PastorDavid and I know anyone with this condition.
it is not simple to explain. And the author only touched the surface, she did not go into detail. Her target audience is readers who already have knowledge of Autism or Aspergers.
If you have not heard of Aspergers before you read this article you have nothing to base an opinion on. If you worked with or were close to someone with the disorder you would understand.
Sounds like you're a bit narcissistic yourself (looking to be understood instead of trying to consider new information in a more adult way).
You are responding to my post - so I imagine that you are addressing this comment at myself. You are very wrong - I am very familiar with the characteristics of those on the autistic spectrum. I have known people with autism for over 30 yrs (both personally and professionally).
If you say that you child has a highly developed empathetic ability - then, obviously, who am I to say differently. However, if you take a look at the thread that is referred to on WrongPlanet.net, you will see that practically all of the posts provide examples to illustrate my position. (I don't think it is correct to post examples here (private conversation and all that), but I do urge you to read the discussion. There are also some good explanations from people who understand the issue, and who explain how they relate to it. (e.g. Autumnphoenix, (who posted on p3 - Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:32 am), but most of the posters show that they don't 'get' it.
I agree that the author's conclusions are inconsistent with my experience working with children with Autism. I do agree that they are overwhelmed by external stimuli and with their own reaction. From their self-desciption they experience overwhelming anxiety from nonthreatening stimuli, but they are too focused on their own internal experience to relate well to others.
I agree that postulating "an excess of empathy" is counterproductive. Today autism is so over diagnosed that it impedes making progress in discovering possible causation as well as effective treatment. Many children on the autistic spectrum have co-morbid Axis I and Axis II diagnoses so oversimplification of the disorder lacks credibility.
In the case of people who don't pick up on social cues, or have an advanced "theory of mind", how do you tell if what's going on is real empathy or projection?
Totally agree. About time someone explored this possibility.
This has left me wondering. My ex-husband was diagnosed with Aspergers. He would often describe that his normal state was relatively even and emotionless (his words) but then it would feel like a dozen volcanos going off inside him, forces beyond his abilities to process or tolerate.Emotionally he described a situation where he was either on or off. Nothing or deafening volume, with no in-between. While he could read me uncannily well in some ways (particularly to read whether or not I was in physical pain), he always insisted that every strong emotion, including ecstasy and joy, were anger. If force existed behind the feeling, it had to be anger. He could conceive of no other explanation. When asked to describe strong emotions he was feeling, for instance when he wept or when he was engaged in self-soothing behaviors, he would respond, "How should I know?"
Without doubt, he felt. Emotion could project from him powerfully. However, from an outside perspective (having been married to him for 14 years, but not having AS myself) it seemed like his ability to translate the information about both internal emotions and those in people around him was impaired.
Has anyone else witnessed this kind of problem in someone with Aspergers? It seems to both harmonize and contradict the article.
What you are describing sounds an awful lot like a type of narcissism that we encourage in boys where they never get any support for learn about their feelings and talking about them and they instead just get stuck in a kind-of protective rage (possibly at not being understood by their parents or others). The rage is often a mask for subconcious fear and hurt at feeling alone and misunderstood. The culture reinforces this false enraged, tough version of masculinity instead of a masculinity that is more substantiated with feelings, personal ego strength, empathy and strength of character.
The DVD and book "Raising Cain" talk about this in terms of how we could do better in raising boys.
@kansasrefugee:
"When you hold a hammer everything looks like a nail".
I appreciate your interest and knowledge of narcissism and some of your comments are educational.
That said, name calling by labeling a poster as personality disordered who is not attacking anyone or disrupting anything seems unduly hostile.
Pssssst, don't tell Michael Savage.
With autism, there are no easy answers. i am sure that this is true for some - but like everything else- no all people on the spectrum. My is severely impacted by autism and he is very empathetic and feels everyone;s emotions too much. I have interviewed other people on the spectrum for my book, Autism Life Skills, who are very sensitive as well.
Interesting.
At least you don't need to advertise that you have moronic traits.
This comment landed outside the box. And I am sure "you" knows who I mean. I didn't mean the author of course, ok, a clue, his "name" rhymes with low.
This is so strange, because it was foreshadowed by a story by Ursula K. Le Guin many years ago. In her short story, Vaster than Empires and More Slow, a major character suffers from an author-created condition called (IIRC) Render's Syndrome, a form of extreme autism that is a result not of detachment but of hypersensitivity to others' feelings. Maybe Le Guin's fictional condition isn't so fictional after all, and explains all (or at least many) forms of autism to boot.
This is not to denigrate from the importance of the new research, obviously, since a science fiction story does not a medical breakthrough make, but it looks like Le Guin was really on to something there.
This story
Carries the headline
It's Not a Social Deficiency
But a Hyper-sensitivity.
Are they mutually
Exclusive?
great article! Autism seems to give insight into the inner workings of the human mind, still a big mystery to science
This seems consistent with reports by people with autism (e.g. Temple Grandin) that they are oversensitive to stimuli in other areas. For example, she says that clothing that feels a little rough to us feels like sandpaper to her.
Not having good filters on all the incoming information from your environment, social or perceptual, would be completely overwhelming and make a person want to shut it all out and withdraw.
where can the research or study referred to in this article be found? it would be interesting to understand where the two swiss researchers are coming from.
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I wrote a longer piece about the intense world theory, which you can read here:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B83WY-4TGHRFF-1 T&_user=6295314&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000047720& _version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=6295314&md5=642b7eb8255702deb23be742d97282 43
Also, the Markram's paper introducing the theory can be found here:
http://frontiersin.org/neuroscience/paper/10.3389/neuro.01/1.1.006.2007/ html/
This is very similar to the argument advanced several years ago in Elaine Aarons book The Highly Sensitive Person. She says people at the high end of the sensitivity spectrum (a good thing) can be overwhelmed by stimulus that is not overwhelming to the majority, and societies interpretation of this as 'weakness' or a 'syndrome' lead to negative messages that often cause severe phsycological damage, especially in developing, highly sensitive children.Readers comments about her book ('a huge sigh of relief') are very similar to some of the comments left here.Nature has created us for different roles, and a great disservice is currently being done to some of the most promising members of our society, and to society itself. As Elaine Aaron observes, highly sensitive people act as a thoughtful brake on impulsive action, and must play a role if society is to stay on the straight and narrow (financial crisis, anyone?).
I think also there is the clash factor, the oversensitive verses the undersensitive.
We live in a very dehumanized society, where watching the news could freak sensitive people out, especially if they don't realize it is not real.
I notice in movies, there are some images I can't stand looking at, even knowing they are just set up, so I turn away to look at the other people looking at them in a movie theatre. It is hard to pretend you are not like that.
I think it is like getting tickled.
Why some people don't feel that awful feeling when getting tickled and others feel it too much, I think has to be worked around, so a person does not fall behind in other skills.
The stomach problems comes up alot. I think the planet is so polluted, in some areas, we are lucky we are able to adapt to our situation, as well as we do.
I think the inconvenience factor clashes with the over sensitive factor. A person who wants to make sure they heard right, might be an inconvenience, and the auditory processing is protected under the ADA. That is another issue that can't be dismissed. Put them all together, voila, it is very reasonable that a person puts their shirt on inside out by mistake.
OOps, I forgot the news is supposed to be real. Oh!
I have been clinically diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. I am in my early 40s. I did not develop empathy to any degree until I was around 10, maybe later. At some point, it was like someone turned on an empathy faucet full blast and from there on, I could feel others pain more than my own. I've spent the past 30 years going between cycles of withdrawal and engagement. I have recently been in therapy and have made strides in improving my ability to interact with others, still I often have great difficulty in connecting/bonding with others. This article is very well written and I'm thankful for it. Too many people assume that those who withdraw do so out of a lack of interest or empathy. This is too simple an explanation, especially for someone who is Aspie.
Very interesting post. If only NT people were sensitive to the needs of Asperger people. My husband and son have it and both are the most genuine, brilliant people I know.
That said, both are really sensitive to a range of things. I am not convinced they are so empathic/worried about everyone else but I do know they are really sensitive about things....
Looking forward to reading more about it.
Guess I don't quite get it.
Is being over sensitive to emotion the same as the inability to filter stimuli? If so, we have something very similar to ADD or ADHD. That inability to filter hardly translates into empathy.
Thank you.
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