How Do Children with Intellectual Disabilities Empathize in Comparison to Typically Developing Children?
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| Title: | How Do Children with Intellectual Disabilities Empathize in Comparison to Typically Developing Children? |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Poline Simon, Nathalie Nader-Grosbois |
| Source: | Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2025 55(5):1754-1769. |
| Availability: | Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/ |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 16 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Descriptors: | Intellectual Disability, Empathy, Interaction, Interpersonal Relationship, Social Development, Emotional Development, Children, Early Adolescents, Foreign Countries, Affective Behavior, Individual Characteristics, Socioeconomic Status |
| Geographic Terms: | Belgium |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06340-3 |
| ISSN: | 0162-3257 1573-3432 |
| Abstract: | Objectives: Two studies were conducted to better understand how children with intellectual disabilities (ID) empathize with the feelings of others during social interactions. The first study tested hypotheses of developmental delay or difference regarding empathy in 79 children with ID by comparing them with typically developing (TD) children, matched for developmental age or chronological age. The second study examined specific aspects of empathy in 23 children with Down syndrome (DS), compared with 23 nonspecific ID children, matched for developmental age, and TD children, matched for developmental age or chronological age. Method: An empathy task was administered to the children while their parents completed the French versions of the Empathy Questionnaire and the Griffith Empathy Measure. Results: The first study showed that ID children showed delayed empathy development but were perceived by their parents as deficient in cognitive empathy. The second study showed that DS children were perceived as being more attentive to the feelings of others than TD children and non-specific ID children, matched for developmental age, and as having affective empathy that was similar to that of TD children matched for chronological age. Conclusion: These studies have drawn attention to delays or differences in different dimensions of empathy in children with ID and DS, which need to be taken into account in interventions. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1468845 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Objectives: Two studies were conducted to better understand how children with intellectual disabilities (ID) empathize with the feelings of others during social interactions. The first study tested hypotheses of developmental delay or difference regarding empathy in 79 children with ID by comparing them with typically developing (TD) children, matched for developmental age or chronological age. The second study examined specific aspects of empathy in 23 children with Down syndrome (DS), compared with 23 nonspecific ID children, matched for developmental age, and TD children, matched for developmental age or chronological age. Method: An empathy task was administered to the children while their parents completed the French versions of the Empathy Questionnaire and the Griffith Empathy Measure. Results: The first study showed that ID children showed delayed empathy development but were perceived by their parents as deficient in cognitive empathy. The second study showed that DS children were perceived as being more attentive to the feelings of others than TD children and non-specific ID children, matched for developmental age, and as having affective empathy that was similar to that of TD children matched for chronological age. Conclusion: These studies have drawn attention to delays or differences in different dimensions of empathy in children with ID and DS, which need to be taken into account in interventions. |
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| ISSN: | 0162-3257 1573-3432 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10803-024-06340-3 |
