The Double Empathy Problem
"The 'problem' isn't in autistic people — it's in the interaction between different cognitive styles." — Dr. Damian Milton (2012)
The Traditional View
Old framework:
- Neurotypical person: Normal empathy → Understands others ✓
- Autistic person: Deficit empathy → Cannot understand others ✗
Problem: Places all deficit in the autistic person. Ignores that neurotypicals also struggle to understand autistics.
The Double Empathy Model
New framework:
- Both groups struggle to understand each other
- Empathy works well within groups (autistic-autistic, NT-NT)
- Difficulty arises across cognitive styles
- Neither is deficient — they're different
The Evidence
Crompton et al. (2020)
Design: Information telephone game.
Findings:
- All-autistic groups: High accuracy ✓
- All-neurotypical groups: High accuracy ✓
- Mixed groups: Significant degradation ✗
Conclusion: Autistic people communicate effectively with each other. The problem is crossing neurotype boundaries.
Sheppard et al. (2016)
- Neurotypical people form negative first impressions of autistic people
- Within 10 seconds
- Based on non-verbal presentation alone
Implication: NT people fail to empathize with autistic social style.
Connection to Monotropism
Why Communication Styles Differ
Monotropic communication (autistic):
- Deep focus on topic
- Direct, information-rich
- Less attention on social meta-communication
- Value accuracy and depth
Polytropic communication (neurotypical):
- Attention distributed across content + social dynamics
- Subtext, reading between lines
- Small talk, phatic communication
- Value social smoothness
Different attention allocation creates different communication styles. Neither is wrong.
Real-World Example
Job interview:
NT interviewer sees:
- No eye contact → "disinterested"
- Monotone voice → "no enthusiasm"
- Direct answers → "poor social skills"
Autistic candidate experiences:
- Eye contact is painful → focusing on questions
- Voice is natural → being authentic
- Direct answers → being honest
Double empathy: Both failing to read each other's cues.
The Reframe
From: "Autistic people have social deficits"
To: "Autistic and neurotypical people have different social styles, creating mutual misunderstanding"
Responsibility: Shared. Accommodation should go both ways.
Who Developed It
Dr. Damian Milton — Autistic researcher at University of Kent. Chair of Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC).
He cites Murray, Lesser & Lawson's monotropism work as foundational.
Key Resources
Primary:
- Milton, D. (2012). "On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem.'" Disability & Society, 27(6), 883-887.
10-year update:
- Milton, D., Gurbuz, E., & López, B. (2022). "The 'double empathy problem': Ten years on." Autism, 26(8), 1932-1942.
Why It Matters
Double Empathy + Monotropism = Complete Reframe
Together, these theories explain autistic experience without deficit:
- Monotropism explains how attention works differently
- Double empathy explains why communication breaks down
Neither is a flaw. Both are differences.