The double empathy problem regarding autism is an interesting perspective introduced in a 2012 paper by Milton. So, what is double empathy, and why does it matter for autistic people? In this video, I explore research and information regarding the double empathy problem and why it is important to understand autistic and non-autistic communication and interaction. I share some of my examples and experiences, and I help to interpret more confusing academic language into understandable, yet still accurate and detailed, language for the average person looking to understand more.
How do you know you’re autistic? Did you discover your autism? If you’re diagnosed later in life, there’s a big chance that a self-discovery process was a part of your journey. There is this common misconception that the usual way to find out that you’re autistic is that a professional notices it in you and gives you a diagnosis. Sure, that makes sense for a medical model. That’s how we diagnose most of our physical illnesses and even our mental illnesses. However, it is not a common way for someone to discover that they’re autistic. In this video, I will share the 9 most common ways that I’ve seen on how someone begins their journey to an autism diagnosis. Which one did you experience?
New research has revealed just how acutely Autistic people experience loneliness contradicting the stereotype that they avoid seeking meaningful social relationships
New research has revealed just how acutely Autistic people experience loneliness contradicting the stereotype that they avoid seeking meaningful social relationships.
Loneliness negatively affects physical and mental health in both neurotypical and neurodivergent individuals and rates of loneliness are up to four times higher in Autistic individuals than their peers. Autistic people also have a greater vulnerability to the negative physical and psychological consequences of loneliness.
However, social environments often act as barriers, making it more difficult for people with higher levels of sensory differences to interact with others.
A new study, which has just been published by journal Autism in Adulthood, investigated Autistic people’s experiences and sought to not only quantify the level of distress associated with loneliness but also to provide a qualitative insight into Autistic adults’ loneliness.
The authors include Dr Gemma Williams, a public health research officer in the School of Health and Social Care. She said: “In the quantitative part of the study, our results indicate that sensory differences are related with higher loneliness and associated poor mental health in both Autistic and non-Autistic adults. This effect was exacerbated in Autistic adults due to a greater presence of sensory processing differences.”
For the qualitative part of the study, she collated first-hand reports from Autistic adults on intense loneliness and the obstructive role of sensory environments which refute stereotypes about Autistic adults lacking social motivation.
For example, one of the participants explained that where people live can have a big impact on their social interaction. She said: “The cost of transport in the city, it’s really quite expensive and prohibitive for some people. So, especially if people are out of work or in transient work or zero-hour contracts where they don’t know how much or how many hours they’re gonna get from one month to the next.”
During a cost-of-living crisis, meeting up for activities may be out of reach for many individuals, but Autistic people are especially vulnerable as they frequent experience financial inequalities relating not only to a lack of employment opportunities and support but also access to benefits.
Taken together, the research team’s two studies confirm that loneliness is significantly related to feelings of distress and poor mental health in both Autistic and non-autistic adults.
Moreover, experiencing sensory differences in a world that does not accommodate for variant sensory profiles may drive people to become increasingly isolated, contributing to feelings of loneliness.
One participant described the difficulties she had experienced in making friends: “Sometimes I have trouble having a conversation or to be understood because I don’t have the same thought process. Which makes it weird sometimes and people are wondering ‘what are you saying?’ or ‘I can’t understand what do you mean?’”
Another added: “I’m trying to reach out, I’m trying to find my people, but it all still feels a bit hopeless.”
As sensory differences are especially prevalent in the Autistic community, they may compound other societal, social, and affective factors, ultimately giving rise to higher numbers of loneliness and associated distress.
Dr Williams added: “Our research highlighted how painfully loneliness is often experienced by Autistic adults. We conclude that to enable meaningful and inclusive social interaction, a real societal effort is needed to create spaces that consider the sensory needs of all neurotypes.”
Schulich School of Business and Faculty of Health researchers say that while as many as 90 per cent of autistic people are unemployed or underemployed, their study points to the benefits of having neurodivergent people in the workplace
A well-established psychological theory states that most of us are less likely to intervene in a bad situation if other people are present, and this ‘bystander effect’ also applies to workplace settings. However, new research led by York University shows that autistic people are less likely to be affected by this social contagion than neurotypical people. They are less likely to stay silent in the face of gross misconduct or even just everyday mistakes, pointing to the positive aspects of autism and how organizations can benefit from hiring more neurodivergent people, findings reveal.
“Our study shows that to the extent that they would act if they saw something wrong, autistic employees were much more likely to intervene, regardless of the number of people present. And in situations where they would not intervene, they were more likely to identify the influence of others as the reason, whereas neurotypical employees were more reluctant to acknowledge this,” says lead author Lorne Hartman, an instructor with the Schulich School of Business.
Lorne and his son Braxton Hartman, a graduate student in the Faculty of Health at York who was a collaborator on the study, were inspired to look into this issue not only from their academic experience, but also because of personal experience — Braxton is autistic and has been a public advocate on the issue since he was 12 years old.
“One of the motivations here is that a lot of the current literature on autism comes from a deficit mindset. It’s saying these differences in autism are exclusively negatives. We want to reframe that and ask, ‘What are ways that some of these differences could be an advantage rather than just a negative?’” says Braxton, whose research also focuses on autism. “One of the core areas that people tend to consider a deficit in autism is social interaction. We wanted to examine whether this is a positive to the extent that autistic people are less influenced by others when it comes to dysfunctional or unethical situations.”
Lorne has a background in clinical psychology and his main area of research looks at unethical behaviour in organizations.
“But most importantly, in all of these cases, there were hundreds, maybe thousands of people who may not have been involved in the wrongdoing, but they should have been aware that it was going on,” he says, summarizing his earlier research. “So having people around who are willing to blow the whistle, so to speak, is very important for organizations.”
The study was published this week in the October issue of Autism Research and created with collaborators from the University of Toronto. The research participants — employed individuals, 33 autistic and 34 neurotypical — were asked to weigh in on hypothetical scenarios involving everything from inefficiencies to inequalities to quality concerns.
While the results are preliminary and more research is needed, the researchers say their work has important practical implications, especially considering that the rates of unemployment and underemployment for autistic people may be as high as 90 per cent, and even if they have higher education, that statistic only drops to 70 per cent.
“We’re looking at this from two angles. One is looking at helping organizations be more ethical and efficient, but also, helping people like myself – people on the spectrum – find gainful employment by helping to change the societal understanding of autism,” concludes Braxton.
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