Double Empathy

The double empathy problem (DEP) refers to a “disjuncture in reciprocity between two differently disposed social actors” who hold different norms and expectations of each other, such as is common in autistic to non-autistic social interactions (Milton 2012: 884). With different dispositional outlooks and personal conceptual understandings, interactions involving autistic and non-autistic people are susceptible to frequent misunderstandings. It is a “double problem” as both people experience it, and so it is not a singular problem located in any one person. However “the disjuncture may be more severe for the non-autistic disposition as it is experienced as unusual, while for the ‘autistic person’ it is a common experience.” (Milton 2012: 885)