(PS2-64) Interpreting Nonverbal Communication: Impact of Neurotype and Autism Stigma, Knowledge, and Experience

Abstract Text: The Double Empathy Problem states that communication difficulties between autistic (ASD) and neurotypical (NT) individuals result from differences, rather than deficits, in communication styles (Milton, 2012). If this theory is true, then there should be more communication breakdowns between neurotypes than within them. Also, during interactions between groups, communication challenges should be seen in both ASD and NT individuals. These patterns have been demonstrated (Crompton et al., 2020; Sheppard et al., 2015; Szechy et al., 2023). However, these studies have not explored the factors related to these communication breakdowns. In the current study, we test whether ASD stigma, knowledge, and experience explain challenges faced by NT adults when interpreting ASD communication. Given that ASD stigma has been correlated with ASD knowledge and experience, and that stigma has been shown to decrease empathy, these factors may play a role in between-group communication (Avenanti et al., 2010; Jones et al., 2021; Mavropoulou & Sideridis, 2014).

This study aimed to replicate and expand prior work in order to explore factors influencing between-neurotype communication challenges. (1) Do NT adults have more difficulty interpreting the mental states of ASD vs NT adults, and (2) does ASD stigma, knowledge, and experience relate to NT adult’s ability to do so?

Participants consisted of a sample of 70 NT adults (Mage = 19.74, SDage = 1.79, 73.2% female, 26.8% white, 25.4% Hispanic or Latino). Participants watched videos of both ASD and NT adults in four different types of social interactions and guessed what was happening in each interaction based on the reaction of the person in the video. Participants then completed the Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASKQ; Harrison et al., 2017) and reported how many ASD people they know.

Participants correctly guessed the type of interaction in the video significantly more frequently when watching the reactions of NT (M = .84, SD = .08) vs ASD adults (M = .66, SD = .10), t(67) = -12.38, p < .001. There was no significant correlation between ASD interactions guessed correctly and ASD knowledge (r = .05, p = .71), stigma (r = -.14, p = .30), or experience (r = .10, p =.45).

Results show that, when watching videos of a social interaction, NT adults more effectively infer the mental states of NT rather than ASD adults. This suggests that communication breakdowns between neurotypes may be a result of challenges faced by both ASD and NT communication partners, offering support for the Double Empathy Problem (Milton, 2012). Results also show that ASD knowledge, stigma, and experience are unrelated to perception of mental states of ASD adults, leaving open the question of what factors influence challenges in communication (e.g., neurotypical social expectations, sensory-processing differences). Future research should examine whether children and ASD participants show different patterns in mental state interpretation to further develop our understanding of the Double Empathy Problem. This will further shift the focus of communication challenges from solely ASD populations to everyone, which can serve as an initial theoretical basis for interventions that place the onus of improving communication onto NT populations.