Summary: People often think that Asperger's Syndrome and other forms of autism prevent children from developing empathy. This mistaken and misunderstood belief hurts the Autism & Asperger's community and their allies. People who hold this thought mistakenly believe that individuals with Asperger's or other forms of autism are violent or uncaring because of a lack of empathy. What is true is that people with Aspergers sometimes have a hard time seeing things from other people’s perspectives. Thus, a child (or adult) with Aspergers might understand that someone is sad or angry and feel bad that the person is in pain but not necessarily understand why. He or she might have great compassion and intense feelings that are overwhelming. As the parent of a child on the autism spectrum, one of the greatest gifts you can give your child is the ability to look at things from other people’s point of view. This ability may not come naturally, but Asperger's Communication Coach, former Special Education teacher and successful freelance writer, Jack Ori says it certainly can be taught. Listen in to Autism Empowerment Radio as Jack shares strategies to help youth with Autism / Asperger's develop and expand their empathy muscles.
