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   Katy Elphinstone (katyelphinstone@mas.to)'s status on Sunday, 15-Feb-2026 08:21:29 JST Katy Elphinstone

   Have you wondered where the claim that autistic people lack empathy came from?

   The “jellyfish” study (2011) was influential in this, as it concluded that autistic people lacked Theory of Mind & capacity for moral reasoning.

   https://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-01-autistic-mind.html

   In the fictional scenario given to participants, Janet tells a friend it’s safe to swim with jellyfish. She believes they’re harmless. The friend is stung and dies.

   ⬇️

   #Autism #Empathy #Neurodiversity #Psychology #TheoryofMind #ActuallyAutistic

   • Embed this notice
     Miakoda (hellomiakoda@pdx.social)'s status on Sunday, 15-Feb-2026 08:21:28 JST Miakoda

     in reply to

     @KatyElphinstone I'm autistic. I'm enpathtic enough that someone else's misery makes me feel miserable. When I say I want everyone to be ok, not only do I care about the well being of others, it also would improve my own quality of life. The pain and suffering of other people hurts me.

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     Miakoda (hellomiakoda@pdx.social)'s status on Sunday, 15-Feb-2026 19:33:32 JST Miakoda

     in reply to

     @KatyElphinstone I've got to say... it's not a fun time to be empathetic.

   • Embed this notice
     Katy Elphinstone (katyelphinstone@mas.to)'s status on Sunday, 15-Feb-2026 19:33:33 JST Katy Elphinstone

     in reply to

     • Miakoda

     @hellomiakoda

     💟🙏

     I'm the same.

     This thread is actually a byproduct out of an article I'm writing on autistic empathy. I'm nearly done but these are the kinds of things that will go into it.

     (And when finished I'll be asking for people's thoughts / feedback!)