Self-report and parental report of empathy in adolescents with autism

Objective: A deficit in empathy has repeatedly been described as a central feature of autistic disorders. However, little is known about how adolescents with autism evaluate their own empathic abilities, and how their parents judge these skills. The present study assesses affective components of empathy via both self-report and parental report. Method: 18 boys with autism and 18 typically developing boys participated in the study. A German translation of the Bryant Index of Empathy was used for the self-assessment of empathy. Parents rated the empathic abilities of their sons using a German version of the Griffith Empathy Measure. Both questionnaires are comparable with regards to content and mainly tap into affective components of empathy. Results: Self-reports of empathy in adolescents with autism did not differ from controls. In contrast, parents of adolescents with autism judged their sons to be less empathic compared to parents of typically developing adolescents. Conclusions: The discrepancy between unimpaired self-reported empathy and parental report of impaired empathy in adolescents with autism might result from their difficulties in effectively conveying empathic feelings to other people. Alternatively, the results may be explained by impaired introspection on inner experiences in individuals with autism.