Stanford researchers investigate the emotional side of autism
Psychology postdoctoral scholar Andrea Samson's research shows
that adults with autism spectrum disorders report greater levels
of negative emotion in general. The diagnostic manual of the
American Psychiatric Association defines autism in what seems to
be a fairly comprehensive way: social impairment, difficulties
with communication, repetitive behavior and restricted interests
the so-called "core symptoms" of the autism spectrum disorders.
But autism is a complex condition, and even a description as
official and thorough as this one may leave out something
important. "If you talk to parents of children with autism,
they'll say all these characteristics are important," said
Stanford psychology Professor James Gross. "But what's not
featured in the diagnostic manual is the extreme difficulty many
kids with autism have with emotion." From a caretaker's
perspective, sudden emotional outbursts can be one of the single
most disruptive aspects of the di