Emotional self-awareness in autism: A meta-analysis of group differences and developmental effects.
Charlotte F Huggins, Gemma Donnan, Isobel M Cameron and 1 others
PMID 33153301WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic people report significantly more difficulty identifying and describing their own emotions than non-autistic people.
This gap is absent in children under 12 but emerges in adolescence and widens through adulthood, likely reflecting increased distress rather than a stable trait.
Key findings
01Autistic participants showed significantly greater emotional self-awareness difficulties across self-report outcomes compared to non-autistic controls.
02Group differences in emotional self-awareness were not significant in children aged 12 and under, but became significant and large in adolescents and adults.
03In autistic participants, higher mean age was associated with higher TAS-20 scores (indicating worse emotional awareness), while no such association existed in non-autistic controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Most studies relied on self-report measures, which can be influenced by general negative affect or psychological distress rather than measuring a stable trait. Few studies controlled for comorbid mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which are strongly associated with poorer emotional self-awareness. The analysis of children under 12 was based on a small number of studies (4), and self-report tools may not be suitable for very young children or those with verbal delays. Heterogeneity between studies was high, particularly in the child and adolescent groups, meaning the average effect size may not apply to all individuals.
Declared interests
None declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that autistic children under 12 have the same level of emotional self-awareness difficulty as autistic adults. The meta-analysis found no significant group difference in this age band, suggesting the gap emerges later in development.