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Empathy Development: Typical and Atypical Tracks, From Infancy to Early Childhood.
1School of Behavioral Sciences, The Academic College of Tel-Aviv Yaffo, Tel-Aviv Yaffo, Israel.
Summary
Early empathy development, influenced by neurobiology and social factors, shows markers in infancy. Understanding atypical development, like in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is key for early intervention and social outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Empathy is crucial for social functioning, developing from infancy.
- Traditional views placed empathy's emergence later; newer evidence shows early markers.
- Neurobiological, emotional, cognitive, and social factors influence empathy development.
Purpose of the Study:
- Review typical and atypical empathy development from infancy to early childhood.
- Examine neurobiological and social influences on early empathy.
- Identify early markers of atypical development, such as in autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review.
- Analysis of developmental science and clinical research.
- Examination of neurobiological maturation, emotion regulation, and caregiver-infant interactions.
Main Results:
- Early markers of empathic concern and cognitive understanding are present in the first year of life.
- Caregiver-infant interactions and neurobiological maturation support empathy.
- Atypical development (e.g., ASD) shows early deficits in social attention, emotional sharing, and prosocial behavior.
Conclusions:
- Empathy is an early developmental milestone and a diagnostic lens for socio-emotional dysfunctions.
- Early detection of empathy impairments can identify conditions like ASD.
- Fostering empathy is vital for positive social outcomes in children with diverse developmental profiles.
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