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Double empathy problem

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An autistic and non-autistic person struggle to understand each other

Art by autistic artist Miss Luna Rose

The double empathy problem describes how both autistic and non-autistic people struggle to empathize with each other. Previously, all the blame for these difficulties was placed on autistic people. However, experts are now realizing that the truth is more complicated.

Autistic people think differently from non-autistic people. These differences create misunderstandings.[1][2][3]

Evidence[]

Better communication between autistic people[]

Autistic communicate more effectively with each other than they do with non-autistic people.[4][5][6][7] They find it easier to befriend autistic people than non-autistic people and have positive impressions of other autistic people.[8][9][10][11][12]

This suggests that autistic people are not socially deficient, but that communication struggles are more akin to a language barrier.[13]

Lack of reciprocity in non-autistics[]

Non-autistic people also show deficits in their interactions with autistic people, even with autistic family members.[14] They are less willing to interact with autistic people[15] and tend to judge them harshly and unfairly.[16] They are also less accurate at identifying emotions in autistic people.[17]

The frequent mistreatment of autistic people is another sign of this issue. Autistic people often face bullying and other forms of victimization.[18][19][20]

Further research[]

Research so far has focused on autistic people with strong verbal skills and no intellectual disability.[21] More research is needed on how the double empathy problem plays out in different groups and social contexts.[22]

Impact[]

Autism Aspect Masking 1

Trying to "fit in" (autistic masking) is linked to major mental health difficulties.

Often, the onus of the double empathy problem falls mostly or completely on autistic people.[23] Autistic people are expected to tackle the work of understanding and communicating with the non-autistic majority. Many non-autistic people do not bother to meet them partway.

Being frequently judged and misunderstood hurts autistic people and may damage mental health.[24] Many autistic people feel lonely[25] and struggle to find and keep friendships.[26]

Autistic people may engage in masking and other compensation strategies to try to survive in a non-autistic world. However, this hard work has a significant cost. Autistic masking is linked to major issues like anxiety, depression, exhaustion, autistic burnout, and suicidality.[27][28][29][30]

Examples[]

  • Non-autistic people may communicate requests using indirect hints. Autistic people may use direct requests and may not be able to interpret hints correctly.
  • Non-autistic people may view explanations of an autistic person's behavior as "excuses."[31]

Tackling the double empathy problem[]

Improving reciprocity in non-autistics[]

Education on autism may improve reciprocity in non-autistic people.[32][33]

Non-autistic people also tend to be more understanding if they learn that someone is autistic.[34]

One study had non-autistic people watch recordings of autistic and non-autistic people talking to each other. The viewers rated the autistic people more negatively than their non-autistic partners did. This suggests that personal contact with autistic people might help reduce negative judgments by non-autistics.[35]

Empowering autistic people[]

Autistic people need support learning the "language" of non-autistic people. Rather than teaching them that their instincts and behavior are wrong, social skill supports might focus on learning how non-autistics typically interact, akin to learning a second language.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Milton, Damian E. M. (October 2012). On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem'. Disability & Society 27 (6): 883–887.
  2. ↑ Milton, Damian. The double empathy problem.
  3. ↑ (October 2022) The 'double empathy problem': Ten years on. Autism 26 (8): 1901–1903.
  4. ↑ (2020). Autistic peer-to-peer information transfer is highly effective. Autism 24 (7): 1704–1712.
  5. ↑ (2023-11-18) Mindreading beliefs in same- and cross-neurotype interactions. Autism.
  6. ↑ (2014-10-20) Autistic empathy toward autistic others. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 10 (2): 145–152.
  7. ↑ (2020). Outcomes of real-world social interaction for autistic adults paired with autistic compared to typically developing partners. Autism 24 (5): 1067–1080.
  8. ↑ (2020-10-26) Interpersonal similarity of autistic traits predicts friendship quality. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience 16 (1–2): 222–231.
  9. ↑ (2021). Peer preferences and characteristics of same-group and cross-group social interactions among autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Autism 25 (7): 1885–1900.
  10. ↑ (2020). 'I never realised everybody felt as happy as I do when I am around autistic people': A thematic analysis of autistic adults' relationships with autistic and neurotypical friends and family. Autism 24 (6): 1438–1448.
  11. ↑ (2020-06-04) Atypical social communication is associated with positive initial impressions among peers with autism spectrum disorder. Autism 24 (7): 1841–1848.
  12. ↑ (2019-06-04) Do Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders Help Other People With Autism Spectrum Disorders? An Investigation of Empathy and Helping Motivation in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Frontiers in Psychiatry 10: 376.
  13. ↑ Rozsa, Matthew. Being autistic may amount to a language difference — not an impairment.
  14. ↑ Heasman B, Gillespie A. Perspective-taking is two-sided: Misunderstandings between people with Asperger's syndrome and their family members. Autism. 2018 Aug;22(6):740-750. doi: 10.1177/1362361317708287. Epub 2017 Jul 7. PMID: 28683569; PMCID: PMC6055325.
  15. ↑ (2017-02-01) Neurotypical Peers are Less Willing to Interact with Those with Autism based on Thin Slice Judgments. Scientific Reports 7 (1): 40700.
  16. ↑ Lim, A., Young, R.L. & Brewer, N. Autistic Adults May Be Erroneously Perceived as Deceptive and Lacking Credibility. J Autism Dev Disord 52, 490–507 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04963-4
  17. ↑ Cheang, R. T., Skjevling, M., Blakemore, A. I., Kumari, V., & Puzzo, I. (2024). Do you feel me? Autism, empathic accuracy and the double empathy problem. Autism, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613241252320
  18. ↑ Gernsbacher, Morton Ann (2006). Toward a Behavior of Reciprocity. The Journal of Developmental Processes 1 (1): 139–152.
  19. ↑ Libster, N., Knox, A., Engin, S. et al. Personal victimization experiences of autistic and non-autistic children. Molecular Autism 13, 51 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00531-4
  20. ↑ Weiss JA, Fardella MA. Victimization and Perpetration Experiences of Adults With Autism. Front Psychiatry. 2018 May 25;9:203. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00203. PMID: 29887806; PMCID: PMC5980973.
  21. ↑ Crompton, Catherine et al. Double Empathy: Why Autistic People Are Often Misunderstood, Frontiers for Young Minds
  22. ↑ Yeung, Siu Kit (2022-07-21). "Directions for Open Scholarship in Autism – Embracing Open Scholarship to Meaningfully Improve Lives of Autistic People Together". PsyArXiv. doi:10.31234/osf.io/xzkjh.
  23. ↑ Milton’s ‘double Empathy Problem’: A Summary for Non-academics, Reframing Autism
  24. ↑ Mitchell, P., Sheppard, E. and Cassidy, S. (2021), Autism and the double empathy problem: Implications for development and mental health. Br J Dev Psychol, 39: 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12350
  25. ↑ Williams, Gemma. Autistic people experience loneliness far more acutely than neurotypical people – new research, The Conversation
  26. ↑ Silberman, Steve. Autism, Human Connection and the ‘Double Empathy’ Problem, Scientific American
  27. ↑ Hull, Laura; Petrides, K. V.; Allison, Carrie; Smith, Paula; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Lai, Meng-Chuan; Mandy, William (2017). ""Putting on My Best Normal": Social Camouflaging in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions". Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 47 (8): 2519–2534. doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3166-5. PMC 5509825. PMID 28527095.
  28. ↑ Cassidy S, Bradley L, Shaw R, Baron-Cohen S. Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults. Mol Autism. 2018 Jul 31;9:42. doi: 10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4. PMID: 30083306; PMCID: PMC6069847.
  29. ↑ Cassidy, S.A., Gould, K., Townsend, E. et al. Is Camouflaging Autistic Traits Associated with Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviours? Expanding the Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide in an Undergraduate Student Sample. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 3638–3648 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04323-3 Download citation
  30. ↑ Pearson A, Rose K. A Conceptual Analysis of Autistic Masking: Understanding the Narrative of Stigma and the Illusion of Choice. Autism Adulthood. 2021 Mar 1;3(1):52-60. doi: 10.1089/aut.2020.0043. Epub 2021 Mar 18. PMID: 36601266; PMCID: PMC8992880.
  31. ↑ Eckerd, Marcia. Are Autistic People Empathic? Is Everyone Else?, Psychology Today
  32. ↑ Scheerer NE, Boucher TQ, Sasson NJ, Iarocci G. Effects of an Educational Presentation About Autism on High School Students' Perceptions of Autistic Adults. Autism Adulthood. 2022 Sep 1;4(3):203-213. doi: 10.1089/aut.2021.0046. Epub 2022 Aug 31. PMID: 36606156; PMCID: PMC9645669.
  33. ↑ Sasson, N. J., & Morrison, K. E. (2019). First impressions of adults with autism improve with diagnostic disclosure and increased autism knowledge of peers. Autism, 23(1), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317729526
  34. ↑ Sasson, N. J., & Morrison, K. E. (2019). First impressions of adults with autism improve with diagnostic disclosure and increased autism knowledge of peers. Autism, 23(1), 50-59. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317729526
  35. ↑ Jones, D. R., Botha, M., Ackerman, R. A., King, K., & Sasson, N. J. (2024). Non-autistic observers both detect and demonstrate the double empathy problem when evaluating interactions between autistic and non-autistic adults. Autism, 28(8), 2053-2065. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613231219743

This content originally came from the double empathy problem page at the Autism Wellbeing Wiki.

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