The influence of individuals diagnosed with Autism on their siblings’ level of empathy and pro-social behaviour

Abstract

Sibling relationships are a primary source of intrapersonal and interpersonal development (Knott et al., 1995). Based on social learning theory (Bandura, 1971), McHale et al. (2016) stated that individuals with autistic siblings develop strong empathetic feelings and prosocial behaviours towards them. The current study is the first one to analyse the influence of neurotypical individuals and individuals diagnosed with autism on their siblings’ levels of empathy and pro-social behaviour towards others. One hundred and twenty-three adult participants, with either neurotypical (N = 71) or autistic siblings (N = 52), completed two questionnaires, the Empathy Quotient (Baron-Cohen & Wheelwright, 2004) and the Helping Attitude Scale (Nickell, 1998). As hypothesised, the participants with siblings diagnosed with autism presented higher levels of both empathy and pro-social behaviour towards others.