The Double Empathy Problem Explained for Leaders | Christine Gaynor-Patterson

The Double Empathy Problem: Developing Empathy and Reciprocity in Neurotypical Adults

The double empathy problem says that autistic people struggle to empathize with non-autistic people, but non-autistic people also struggle to empathize with autistic people. And I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how hard it is going through life in a society (and family) that has zero empathy for you and just sees everything you think and do as “wrong.” It’s exhausting. It’s soul crushing. But at some point we have to stop expecting them to “get it” and validate ourselves. WE have to love th

The double empathy problem | Jasmine Miller ICF PCC FRSA

Autistic sociologist Damian Milton (2012, 2018) introduced the double empathy problem—the idea that misunderstandings between Autistic and neurotypical people aren’t due to Autistic people “lacking empathy,” but to a mutual gap in understanding. The real issue? Neurotypical norms are dominant—so Autistic people are expected to adapt, mask, and empathize upwards just to survive. This isn’t a personal failure. It’s a social power imbalance. Milton’s work shows we don’t lack empathy—we’re just not

It’s called the Double Empathy Problem… And it gets blamed on “autistic communication deficits”, but it’s actually just the result of trying to translate across languages and cultures. Why do autistic people get blamed? The answer is simple: because of privilege. Allistic communication styles are privileged and normalized. That’s all. They’re not better—they’re just the communication conventions of the dominant group. #actuallyautistic #autismawareness #autisticwomen #autisticadults #autism | Lá

Autism is linked to lower levels of empathy – but that may not be a bad thing