diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b1e2dcffec7..b0b8aff9efd 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 * [#8537](https://github.com/rubocop-hq/rubocop/pull/8537): Allow a trailing comment as a description comment for `Bundler/GemComment`. ([@pocke][])
 * [#8507](https://github.com/rubocop-hq/rubocop/issues/8507): Fix `Style/RescueModifier` to handle parentheses around rescue modifiers. ([@dsavochkin][])
 * [#8527](https://github.com/rubocop-hq/rubocop/pull/8527): Prevent an incorrect auto-correction for `Style/CaseEquality` cop when comparing with `===` against a regular expression receiver. ([@koic][])
+* [#8524](https://github.com/rubocop-hq/rubocop/issues/8524): Fix `Layout/EmptyLinesAroundClassBody`  and `Layout/EmptyLinesAroundModuleBody` to correctly handle an access modifier as a first child. ([@dsavochkin][])
 
 ### Changes
 
diff --git a/lib/rubocop/cop/mixin/empty_lines_around_body.rb b/lib/rubocop/cop/mixin/empty_lines_around_body.rb
index 2bf34965e24..f04b4e3ba82 100644
--- a/lib/rubocop/cop/mixin/empty_lines_around_body.rb
+++ b/lib/rubocop/cop/mixin/empty_lines_around_body.rb
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ module EmptyLinesAroundBody
         private
 
         def_node_matcher :constant_definition?, '{class module}'
-        def_node_matcher :empty_line_required?, '{def defs class module}'
+        def_node_matcher :empty_line_required?,
+                         '{def defs class module (send nil? {:private :protected :public})}'
 
         def check(node, body, adjusted_first_line: nil)
           return if valid_body_style?(body)
diff --git a/spec/support/empty_lines_around_body_shared_examples.rb b/spec/support/empty_lines_around_body_shared_examples.rb
index 7ded520b025..0fd048b9ea2 100644
--- a/spec/support/empty_lines_around_body_shared_examples.rb
+++ b/spec/support/empty_lines_around_body_shared_examples.rb
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   context 'when EnforcedStyle is empty_lines_special' do
     let(:cop_config) { { 'EnforcedStyle' => 'empty_lines_special' } }
 
-    context 'when first child is method' do
+    context 'when first child is a method' do
       it "requires blank line at the beginning and ending of #{type} body" do
         expect_no_offenses(<<~RUBY)
           #{type} SomeObject
@@ -109,6 +109,43 @@ def do_something
       end
     end
 
+    context 'when first child is an access modifier' do
+      context "with blank lines at the beginning and ending of #{type} body" do
+        it 'registers no offense' do
+          expect_no_offenses(<<~RUBY)
+            #{type} SomeObject
+
+              private
+              def do_something; end
+
+            end
+          RUBY
+        end
+      end
+
+      context "with no blank lines at the beginning and ending of #{type} body" do
+        it 'registers and corrects an offense' do
+          expect_offense(<<~RUBY)
+            #{type} SomeObject
+              private
+            ^ #{missing_begin}
+              def do_something; end
+            end
+            ^ #{missing_end}
+          RUBY
+
+          expect_correction(<<~RUBY)
+            #{type} SomeObject
+
+              private
+              def do_something; end
+
+            end
+          RUBY
+        end
+      end
+    end
+
     context 'when first child is NOT a method' do
       it "does not require blank line at the beginning of #{type} body "\
         'but requires blank line before first def definition '\