The role of empathy in prosocial behavior in autistic and neurotypical children

This study examined the role of empathy in prosocial behavior among Chinese autistic and neurotypical children aged 4-8 between July 2018 and August 2021. Study 1 included 79 autistic children (89% boys) and 81 neurotypical children (77% boys) in a sharing task and found empathy-inducing context increased sharing in both groups, and informant-report empathy positively predicted sharing behavior. Study 2 recruited 57 autistic (82% boys) and 50 neurotypical children (78% boys) in a pain-related empathy task combining eye-tracking and a sharing task. Autistic children showed reduced visual attention to others' pain but intact emotional arousal. Across both groups, greater visual attention to others' pain predicted more sharing. These findings indicate that enhancing empathy can promote prosocial behavior in young children.