Two distinct concepts often confused: **Empathy** is the ability to be aware of the thoughts and feelings of others and adapt responses accordingly. People with AS have difficulty with empathy — others' feelings don't register or register only with great effort. **Empathic response** is the wish to share attention with others. This is visible in infancy: a baby looks at what the caretaker is looking at, points at objects to share interest. In AS, this desire to share attention is often absent. Baron-Cohen's framework: the human brain is wired toward two tendencies — **empathizing** (understanding others) and **systematizing** (understanding how things work). AS represents an extreme of systematizing over empathizing. AS individuals can have feelings intensely — parents report they experience feelings *too* intensely and become overwhelmed. The deficit is not in feeling but in *interpreting* others' feelings correctly. **Source:** Lovett, *Solutions for Adults with Asperger Syndrome*, Ch 4 (pp109-113) See also: [[Theory of Mind Mind Blindness]]