---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We have evidence that autistic people’s…"
description: "\"“We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism is impaired.”\" — Stefan Klein"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg"
---

#  We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism…

![“We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism is impaired.” quote by Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg)

> ““We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism is impaired.””

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Autistic individuals may have reduced ability to mirror others’ emotions, affecting social cognition.

**In simple terms:** Mirror system may be weaker.

Key Takeaway

Support autistic social development.

Themes

neuroscience autism empathy

Mood

analytical empathetic

Type

scientific clinical

When to use this quote

- education
- therapy
- workplace inclusion

Key Concepts

mirror neuron deficit cognitive neuroscience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we foster empathy in autistic individuals?
- What interventions improve mirroring abilities?

A Different Perspective

Not all autistic people experience this equally.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Autism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism/) [Autistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autistic/) [Autistic People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autistic-people-1256390/) [Evidence Autistic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evidence-autistic-5595116/) [Mechanism Impaired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mechanism-impaired-5595117/) [People Mirror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-mirror-753718/)

## Related quotes

> [Autistic people's disabilities are widely known, but one of their best-established strengths is their attention to detail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/autistic-people-s-disabilities-are-widely-known-but-one-of-their-best/)

[Simon Baron-Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baron-cohen/)

> [“Many autistic people fight against the environment every day, and no one sees, no one knows, because on the outside they appear calm. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-becker/many-autistic-people-fight-against-the-environment-every-day-and-no/)

[Liz Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-becker/)

> [I think that autistic brains tend to be specialized brains. Autistic people tend to be less social. It takes a ton of processor space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-think-that-autistic-brains-tend-to-be-specialized-brains-autistic-2/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [I think that autistic brains tend to be specialized brains. Autistic people tend to be less social. It takes a ton of processor space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-think-that-autistic-brains-tend-to-be-specialized-brains-autistic/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [Some autistic people have savant skills. All autistic people do not have savant skills. Autism is a very variable disorder varying all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/some-autistic-people-have-savant-skills-all-autistic-people-do-not/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [“Selene: No. That’s not it. Dr Kris: Why do you say that? Selene: Because I feel too much. Autistic people… they don’t feel things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-jo-gracie/selene-no-that-s-not-it-dr-kris-why-do-you-say-that-selene-because-i/)

[Katie-Jo Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-jo-gracie/)

> [Some autistic people may emerge from their condition, but nobody knows when and why.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/some-autistic-people-may-emerge-from-their-condition-but-nobody-knows/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [In America we've spent over a billion dollars on autism research. What have we got for that? We've not seen anything that's appreciably impacted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-ne-eman/in-america-we-ve-spent-over-a-billion-dollars-on-autism-research-what/)

[Ari Ne'eman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-ne-eman/)

> [“Because many autistic people take what people say at face value, they are easily duped and swindled. Try”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-d-taylor/because-many-autistic-people-take-what-people-say-at-face-value-they/)

[Thomas D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/)

> [Most people assume that autistic people are not capable of empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/most-people-assume-that-autistic-people-are-not-capable-of-empathy/)

[Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/)

> [ Many autistic people have this ability to learn weird foreign languages, and I think I've heard of autistic Americans who have been obsessed \[with\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-n-gnarr/many-autistic-people-have-this-ability-to-learn-weird-foreign/)

[Jon Gnarr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-n-gnarr/)

> [We are convinced, then, that autistic people have their place in the organism of the social community. They fulfil their role well, perhaps better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-asperger/we-are-convinced-then-that-autistic-people-have-their-place-in-the/)

[Hans Asperger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-asperger/)

> [“And I think for a moment, because people don't actually ask that very often. They tell me what they think I feel because they've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachael-lucas/and-i-think-for-a-moment-because-people-don-t-actually-ask-that-very/)

[Rachael Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachael-lucas/)

> [There's a secret to get through loss, pain and grief. If we're alone we can't see who we are. When we join the club,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-beattie/there-s-a-secret-to-get-through-loss-pain-and-grief-if-we-re-alone-we/)

[Melody Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-beattie/)

> [What we make of people, and what we see in the mirror when we look at ourselves, depends on what we know of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-zeldin/what-we-make-of-people-and-what-we-see-in-the-mirror-when-we-look-at/)

[Theodore Zeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-zeldin/)

## More by Stefan Klein

> [“We believe that we’re in control of our lives. But in reality we can only seize opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-believe-that-we-re-in-control-of-our-lives-but-in-reality-we-can/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“Depression is the price we pay for our imagination and intelligence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/depression-is-the-price-we-pay-for-our-imagination-and-intelligence/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“you can call human beings stellar nuclear waste.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/you-can-call-human-beings-stellar-nuclear-waste/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“it’s almost a prerequisite that you master the techniques of workplace bullying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/it-s-almost-a-prerequisite-that-you-master-the-techniques-of/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“Publishing in an academic journal doesn’t do anything to dispel racist ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/publishing-in-an-academic-journal-doesn-t-do-anything-to-dispel/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“extreme specialization prevents scholars from developing a perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/extreme-specialization-prevents-scholars-from-developing-a-perspective/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“Beauty comes from tension: between order and disorder, simplicity and complexity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/beauty-comes-from-tension-between-order-and-disorder-simplicity-and/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“No one acts altruistically without regard to the costs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/no-one-acts-altruistically-without-regard-to-the-costs/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“be a human being first and a scientist second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/be-a-human-being-first-and-a-scientist-second/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“Revenge is nothing but the dark side of the sense of fairness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/revenge-is-nothing-but-the-dark-side-of-the-sense-of-fairness/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“Happiness is a private good, justice a public good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/happiness-is-a-private-good-justice-a-public-good/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“the taller you are, the more selfish you are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/the-taller-you-are-the-more-selfish-you-are/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“more the territory of our knowledge expands, the longer the boundary between that territory and what we don’t know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/more-the-territory-of-our-knowledge-expands-the-longer-the-boundary/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“we find nothing that gives our lives an objective meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-find-nothing-that-gives-our-lives-an-objective-meaning/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

> [“We behave morally when we improve the lives of all we can affect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-behave-morally-when-we-improve-the-lives-of-all-we-can-affect/)

[Stefan Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

[Explore all 22 Stefan Klein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/)

## More Autism quotes

> [“We know that children with autism like order, that they are often very visual and that they can be quite literal. They deserve beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele-devine/we-know-that-children-with-autism-like-order-that-they-are-often-very/)

[Adele Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele-devine/)

> [In fact, when we as neuro-typical people encounter a person with autism spectrum syndrome who's always been that way it is that we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamlyn-tomita/in-fact-when-we-as-neuro-typical-people-encounter-a-person-with/)

[Tamlyn Tomita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamlyn-tomita/)

> [If you give us a safe vaccine, we'll use it. It shouldn't be polio versus autism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mccarthy/if-you-give-us-a-safe-vaccine-we-ll-use-it-it-shouldn-t-be-polio/)

[Jenny McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mccarthy/)

> [Autism is a big continuum, going from someone who remains nonverbal, all the way up to geniuses on Silicon Valley. And some kids are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/autism-is-a-big-continuum-going-from-someone-who-remains-nonverbal/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [Metaphor isn't just a fancy turn of speech. It shapes our thoughts and feelings, reaches out to grasp new experience, and even binds our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-richardson/metaphor-isn-t-just-a-fancy-turn-of-speech-it-shapes-our-thoughts-and/)

[James Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-richardson/)

> [The position of Autism Speaks has been for quite awhile that we need to find out what's happening. We know there's a genetic component,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-emken/the-position-of-autism-speaks-has-been-for-quite-awhile-that-we-need/)

[Elizabeth Emken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-emken/)

> [Some people with autism who don't talk, all they hear are vowel sounds. Like if I said 'cup,' they might just hear 'uh.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/some-people-with-autism-who-don-t-talk-all-they-hear-are-vowel-sounds/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [Children must be taught how to think, not what to think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/children-must-be-taught-how-to-think-not-what-to-think/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [Mild autism can give you a genius like Einstein. If you have severe autism, you could remain nonverbal. You don't want people to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/mild-autism-can-give-you-a-genius-like-einstein-if-you-have-severe/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [“The autistic mind is not the wave at the surface of the ocean, but the whole world that exists below.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krissy-bells/the-autistic-mind-is-not-the-wave-at-the-surface-of-the-ocean-but-the/)

[Krissy Bells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krissy-bells/)

> [In the person with autism, the brain may already be seeing the part and be less distracted by the whole, and in the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-baron-cohen/in-the-person-with-autism-the-brain-may-already-be-seeing-the-part/)

[Simon Baron-Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-baron-cohen/)

> [I think that the definition of autism is too broad. You got to remember, autism definition is a behavioral profiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/i-think-that-the-definition-of-autism-is-too-broad-you-got-to/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [There is a small segment of people with autism that have savant skills, where they can memorize entire maps of whole entire city. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temple-grandin/there-is-a-small-segment-of-people-with-autism-that-have-savant/)

[Temple Grandin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temple-grandin/)

> [When you have autism or aspergers, it's so hard to get a social life but trust me, in the end everyone can achieve at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia/when-you-have-autism-or-aspergers-it-s-so-hard-to-get-a-social-life/)

[Lia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia/)

> [“Unfortunately, by this time it didn't matter. Self-diagnosed autistics and fakers were asking diagnosed autistics whether or not they had a diagnosis, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-d-taylor/unfortunately-by-this-time-it-didn-t-matter-self-diagnosed-autistics/)

[Thomas D. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/)

[Browse all 621 Autism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism is impaired.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stefan Klein"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s-mirror-mechanism-is-impaired/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Autism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s-mirror-mechanism-is-impaired/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24c/stefan-klein-25284_autism_we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s_2328965.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We have evidence that autistic people’s mirror mechanism is impaired.” — Stefan Klein",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stefan Klein",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-klein/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We have evidence that autistic people’s...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s-mirror-mechanism-is-impaired/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-klein/we-have-evidence-that-autistic-people-s-mirror-mechanism-is-impaired/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
