Why Communication Between Individuals With Autism Runs More Smoothly
Do individuals with autism have social interaction problems, or do individuals without autism simply misunderstand them? Giving individuals with autism a voice, their message is clear: communicating with other individuals with autism is much easier.
(blog by Hannah de Laet, see also the Dutch and German version)
A good friend of mine has an autism diagnosis. While our communication usually flows smoothly, we sometimes encounter misunderstandings. Is this due to his autism? According to the diagnostic criteria, it is. Together with this friend, I volunteer at a youth organization where both individuals with and without autism are active. When he communicates with other individuals with autism there, misunderstandings seem to diminish significantly. Can we truly say then that social communication difficulties are inherent to autism? Or is it rather a matter of miscommunication between individuals with and without autism?
That is precisely the question I asked myself a few years ago when I started my PhD within the EXPLORA research group at Ghent University. To gain more clarity, my colleagues and I started with the people at the center of it all. We asked over 400 individuals with autism about their experiences. Their message is unmistakable: they find communication with other individuals with autism easier and better than with individuals without autism.
"Individuals with autism perceive communication with other individuals with autism as easier and better."
In our online questionnaire, participants with autism expressed in various ways that they communicate better with other individuals with autism. For instance, they find communication more enjoyable and less exhausting when the other person also has autism, and they feel more at ease. They feel better understood and understand other individuals with autism more easily, whereas these aspects are more challenging with individuals without autism.
Additionally, several participants shared that they can completely be themselves around other individuals with autism, without feeling the need to hide their autism. There is often room for pauses during communication, as the other person with autism does not immediately expect a response, allowing time to think. While most participants emphasized that communication flows better with other individuals with autism, they were also candid about the challenges (what else would you expect from someone with autism?). For instance, a few mentioned that it can sometimes be difficult to understand each other’s perspective.
Individuals with autism indicated that there was no difference in how well (or how poorly) they understand the body language of individuals with autism compared to those without autism. While participants reported better communication with other individuals with autism in all other aspects, this was not the case for body language. This doesn’t seem like such a strange finding when we base it on previous research. Individuals with autism both read and display less body language, so perhaps it’s not so surprising that they don’t understand it better in other individuals with autism.
"[When I talk to someone with autism] the burden of constantly having to think in my head: I must be socially acceptable and come across as normal and desirable, just disappears. It’s as if a block of concrete is lifted off my shoulders."
Interestingly, individuals who prefer the term "autistic person" over "person with autism" were even more likely to report better communication with other individuals with autism compared to those without autism (more information on the language preference in Dutch to refer to someone with an autism diagnosis in Dutch can be found here). There are several possible explanations for this. Generally, individuals who prefer the term "autistic person" tend to feel a stronger sense of belonging to the autism community. It could be that those who perceive interactions with other individuals with autism as better and easier also have a greater desire to identify with the autism community, thereby fostering a stronger sense of group identity. Furthermore, research on group identity has found that we are more likely to attribute positive qualities to our own group. Perhaps individuals with a stronger sense of group identity are more inclined to report better communication with other individuals with autism because it aligns with a positive group characteristic, even if the actual communication is not necessarily better.
Double empathy problem
In communication between individuals with and without autism, misunderstandings often occur. Participants with autism reported that individuals without autism communicate unclearly. People without autism are often indirect in what they want to say or use vague language. They also seem to lack an understanding of the impact autism has on someone’s life, leading the individual with autism to feel misunderstood. Fortunately, communication also often goes well. Participants indicated that when both conversation partners have an open attitude, communication flows better. To facilitate communication for someone with autism, individuals without autism can express themselves more concisely, avoid figurative language, and allow space for the person with autism to ask for clarification if something is unclear.
For decades, social interaction problems in autism have been attributed to the individual with autism. About ten years ago, the theory of the “double empathy problem” was proposed. According to this theory, social interaction problems are not inherent to autism but are inherent to communication between individuals who experience the world in different ways. This theory predicts poorer communication between individuals with and without autism, and better communication between individuals with autism. The experiences of individuals with autism align with what the theory suggests, but further research is needed to investigate why communication between two individuals with autism works so much better. Is it truly a "different" type of communication, or is it more about acknowledgement, recognition and a strong sense of group identity?
Next time I meet my friend, I will certainly make more of an effort to communicate more directly and not assume that everything I say is clear. Hopefully, we will be able to understand each other even better.
You can read the preprint of the article here.