Exploring the Role of Empathy in Understanding the Social-Cognitive Profile for Individuals Referred for Autism Spectrum Disorders Assessment in Adulthood

This study explored the social-cognitive profile of 173 adults referred for an autism assessment. We considered key dimensional traits (autism, empathy and systemising) to understand social cognition in adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition compared with those who were referred for, but...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2020-05, Vol.50 (5), p.1470-1478
Main Authors: Russ, Victoria, Kovshoff, Hanna, Brown, Tony, Abbott, Patricia, Hadwin, Julie A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptability
Adults
Autism
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Child and School Psychology
Clinical Diagnosis
Cognition & reasoning
Cognitive ability
Comparative analysis
Demographic aspects
Diagnosis
Emotion recognition
Emotional Response
Emotions
Empathy
Evaluation
Individual Characteristics
Inferences
Medical diagnosis
Neurosciences
Original Paper
Pediatrics
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
Psychology
Public Health
Social Cognition
Social inference
Social interactions
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
Understanding
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Summary:This study explored the social-cognitive profile of 173 adults referred for an autism assessment. We considered key dimensional traits (autism, empathy and systemising) to understand social cognition in adults diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition compared with those who were referred for, but did not receive a diagnosis. There were no significant social cognitive differences between groups on measures of emotion recognition and social inference. Adults with a confirmed diagnosis, however, reported fewer empathising traits which were positively associated with social-cognitive understanding. Empathising partially mediated the relationship between diagnostic group and social-cognition. Lower empathising traits in individuals diagnosed in adulthood may be important in understanding challenges with social adaptability. The findings have implications for assessment and highlight the role of empathy in developing social understanding in autism.
ISSN:0162-3257
1573-3432
DOI:10.1007/s10803-018-3693-8