For what it's worth, the tester who tested DS8 (who presented with a lot of autism like traits when he was younger, such as rigidity, rituals, anxiety, low coordination, sleep issues, social awkwardness, some mild stimming behaviours, but NOT the central features ie mind blindness and lack of empathy)
Autistic people do not lack empathy. It's not part of the definition. Some autistic adults have described their state of mind as having too much empathy-- not being able to process because it's too intense to witness the feelings of others.
Science is still not clear on this one, but it's not a diagnostic feature.
