Some studies suggest that individuals with autism spectrum disorder have reduced emotional empathy while others do not. The presence of co-occurring alexithymia in autism spectrum disorder and differences in interoception have been associated with reductions in empathic ability. To fully explore the relationships between interoception,…

Differences in understanding emotion in autism are well-documented, although far more research has considered how being autistic impacts an understanding of other people's emotions, compared to their own. In neurotypical adults and children, many emotions are associated with distinct bodily maps of experienced sensation, and the ability to report…

The prevalence of anxiety is higher in autistic young people, compared to neurotypical youths. However, the nature of worry in autistic young people is under-researched. Transition from secondary school is a time of change and can be challenging for autistic adolescents. This project explored the content and emotional impact of worries in…

The sources of anxiety for a sample of 132 young males with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) were investigated from standardised scales and verbal responses to a series of open-ended questions asked to them and their mothers. As well as using parametric statistics to test for effects on standardised scales, verbal responses were analysed via NVivo…

Recent studies highlighted that autistic individuals show increased perceptual capacity -- the ability to process more information at any one time. This study examined whether there is a link between this increased perceptual capacity and the sensory hypersensitivity that many autistic people experience on a daily basis. In total, 38 autistic and…