Autism and the ‘double empathy problem’

Drawing upon both personal experience of being autistic and a parent to an autistic child, as well as theory and relevant interdisciplinary research, this chapter explores few questions, arguing that such a way of framing autism and empathy is deeply problematic. Definitions of empathy relate to a breadth of cognitive and subjective states, often as Baron-Cohen indicates, split into ‘cognitive’ and ‘affective’ empathy. In contrast to psychopathy and narcissism, which are often characterised as resulting from deficits in affective empathy, autism have been linked to a deficit in cognitive empathy. Milton suggests that the power relationships that can form between autistic people and psych-professionals who may see their ‘patients’ as lacking in socialisation, empathy, moral competency, and even full humanity can produce forms of psycho-emotional disablement, constraining not only what people can do but also what they can be and become.