The Theorists
The people who built the framework. Standing on their shoulders.
Dr. Dinah Murray (1946–2021)
The architect.
- PhD in Psycholinguistics, UCL (1985)
- First presented "attention tunnelling" at Durham autism conference (1992)
- Coined terminology with Jeanette Buirski
- Founded monotropism.org
- Co-authored foundational 2005 paper
"Monotropism offers an alternative to the dominant deficit-based models of autism."
She saw autism not as broken neurotypicality, but as a different way of being.
Key work: Murray, D. (1992). "Attention Tunnelling and Autism."
Dr. Wenn B. Lawson
The practitioner.
- Autistic researcher and psychologist
- PhD thesis: "Single Attention and Associated Cognition in Autism" (SAACA)
- Author of The Passionate Mind, Life Behind Glass
- Most recent: Autism and Being Monotropic (2025, Springer)
"Monotropism means we give our all to what has our attention, but find dividing our attention incredibly difficult."
Wenn lives the theory while advancing it academically. The book chapters on interoception, gender, and LGBTQIA+ expand the framework into new territory.
Key work: Lawson, W.B. (2025). Autism and Being Monotropic. Springer.
Mike Lesser (d. 2015)
The mathematician.
- Provided mathematical foundations for monotropism
- Co-authored the 2005 paper
- Brought rigor to the interest-system model
The mathematical model: attention as a limited resource, distributed across an interest system. Monotropic = few interests, high investment. Polytropic = many interests, distributed investment.
Key work: Murray, D., Lesser, M., & Lawson, W. (2005). "Attention, monotropism and the diagnostic criteria for autism." Autism, 9(2), 139-156.
Dr. Damian Milton
The companion theorist.
- Developed the Double Empathy Problem (2012)
- Cites monotropism in his foundational work
- Chair, Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC)
The double empathy problem: Neurotypicals struggle to understand autistics as much as autistics struggle to understand neurotypicals. It's bidirectional, not a one-sided deficit.
Monotropism + Double Empathy = a complete reframe of autism theory.
Key work: Milton, D. (2012). "On the ontological status of autism: The 'double empathy problem.'" Disability & Society, 27(6), 883-887.
Fergus Murray
The next generation.
- Dinah Murray's son
- Maintains monotropism.org
- Author of "Me and Monotropism" (The Psychologist, 2019)
- Most-read article in The Psychologist that year
Bridging academic research and lived experience, making the theory accessible.
Key work: Murray, F. (2019). "Me and Monotropism: A unified theory of autism." The Psychologist.
The Lineage
1985 │ Murray PhD on language/interests
│
1992 │ "Attention tunnelling" presented at Durham
│ (Term "monotropism" coined by Buirski)
│
1999 │ Lawson's honours thesis on monotropism
│
2001 │ Lawson: monotropism vs polytropism contrast
│
2005 │ ⭐ Murray, Lesser, Lawson paper
│ First peer-reviewed publication
│
2012 │ Milton: Double Empathy Problem
│ Cites monotropism
│
2019 │ F. Murray: "Me and Monotropism"
│ Popular breakthrough
│
2025 │ Lawson: *Autism and Being Monotropic*
│ Comprehensive practitioner guide
I'm Not a Theorist
I'm documenting lived experience that happens to match the theory.
30 months of describing monotropism before learning the word.