Today I’m sharing the words of an autistic friend, Dr. Elena Chandler.

“I feel empathy physically as a crushing or piercing sensation in my chest, and generally I am not able to damp down the intensity of it, so it can quickly lead to a meltdown or shutdown, depending on the kind of situation. I also typically have a great deal of difficulty expressing myself due to the intensity, the high social stakes and problems expressing things in highly emotional language.”