aspies and empathy

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have you ever been told that you don't seem to have aspergers because you can create empathy?

thats a crock of dung - aspies are very well capable of empathy, although expressing it can be difficult.

I concur.

I can't feel any empathy at all.

I can feel empathy, but I often don't. And I really don't know what to do with it when I actually do feel it.

I sometimes don't feel it when I should
I never cry if someone dies (well I did once)
just a little
but I told my mom and she didn't beleive me and assured me I am normal

I think we can have empathy, but sometimes I just don't think of how the other person might feel. If someone points it out to me, I understand it.

Me and my little aspie cousin both feel too much empathy. It can push is into an overstimulation meltdown. I rarely cry though. And I agree with the above statement, sometimes unless its explained to me i don't understand what others are going trough due to the brain wireing differences.

I don't have (much) empathy and I'm rather disdainful of anyone seeking it. True misery = not caring or being aware of the empathetic attempts of others...

I'm rather disdainful of everyone anyway

I barely cried when my dad died. I cry over animal cruelty though.

I have always had uncontrolled empathy. It can completely overwhelm me.

Was in a seminar a fortnight ago where this was discussed by a psychotherapist who thought that those of us with ASDs were "visually empathic" ~ that is when something is in front of us and real we empathise, when we are told about stuff we rationalise.

This is a very interesting topic as I am training as a psychotherapist and worry about being able to understand others sufficiently to be useful! I think I compensate by picking up details that NT's miss.

Peace

Tog

Empathy was not an innate thing in me as a child, but I learned it. Before I learned it though, I really felt like and alien or a robot or something else non-human.

I may have learned it too well, because when I empathize now, which I do a lot, I do so very deeply.

It is difficult for me to imagine an emotional reaction in a situation I've not encountered before, but that has been gradually improving through developing my creativity and aesthetic sense in recent times.

This may sound weird but I've found that most Aspies and ADDers have more empathy than the NT's, it's just that we show it differently.

Selena

I agree.
I am actually the person who will listen to your problems and make you feel better, the care-giver if you will, in my group of friends.
I have empathy if I care for the person. And I care for most people at my schoo. In fact, I tend to go out of my way to help anyone unless they have been mean to me, been mean to a friend, or given me a reason to distrust them in the past.

Point proven!