Alexithymia and Autism
What is Alexithymia?
A very common condition for those with Autism is Alexithymia which is sometimes called emotional blindness as the condition means that individuals struggle with recognising and identifying their emotions.
Alexithymia Emotional Processing
Individuals with Alexithymia may not only have difficulties identifying and describing their emotions but also may have difficulties identifying facial expressions, identifying/remembering faces and may have difficulties with fantasizing. Other difficulties individuals with Alexithymia can experience are that they often avoid inner experiences with their thinking style focused on external events they also may tend to have difficulties distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations of emotional arousal.
The Two Types of Alexithymia
There are two types that Alexithymia can be divided into :-
Cognitive Alexithymia - The cognitive dimension is where individuals have difficulties in identifying, verbalising, and analysing emotions.
Affective Alexithymia - This relates to the differences in imagination and emotional arousal
Alexithymia causes
The development of Alexithymia can occur in different ways
PRIMARY ALEXITHYMIA - Genetics and family relations
Primary Alexithymia develops early, and becomes molded during childhood and early adult years as personality traits it is caused by childhood trauma or negative primary caregivers interactions.
SECONDARY ALEXITHYMIA - psychological distress
Secondary Alexithymia relates to Alexithymic traits resulting from psychological stress, chronic disease, or organic processes (such as brain trauma or a stroke) that occur later after childhood. This condition is based on (temporary) states rather than personality characteristics and is less ingrained.
ORGANIC ALEXITHYMIA - trauma (vascular or other brain damage)
Organic Alexithymia is a sub-category of Secondary Alexithymia and is caused by damage to brain structures involved in emotional processing.
Autism and Alexithymia
Individuals with Autism tend to have Cognitive Alexithymia whereby they have difficulties with identifying and describing feelings, challenges with distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations (called interoception), challenges with identifying facial expressions, and difficulties with identifying and remembering faces.