Autism, Adulthood, and Employment Challenges: The Double Empathy Problem and Perceptions of an Autistic Employee in the Workplace

Abstract

High unemployment rates are found among adults on the autism spectrum. Problems with social functioning in the workplace can be significant barriers to employment success. Traditionally, autistic adults social functioning challenges have been attributed to impairments in Theory of Mind (ToM). Alternatively, the Double Empathy Problem (DEP) posits that social challenges arise not from the ToM deficits within the autistic person but instead from mutual misunderstandings in the autistic and non-autistic social interaction. This study compared autistic and non-autistic participants’ ability to use ToM to accurately interpret the behaviors of an autistic employee, and the association between that interpretation and attitudes towards them as a potential coworker. A sample of 254 participants (173 non-autistic, 81 autistic) read a vignette of a hypothetical autistic employee in the workplace. The first study described the development of the ToM measure using a vignette and demonstrated that a significantly greater proportion of autistic participants accurately interpreted the behavior of the hypothetical autistic employee portrayed (ToM score = 2), compared to non-autistic participants (χ² = 8.65, p. = .003). The second study examined autism knowledge and autism experience as additional contributors to ToM abilities towards an autistic employee. Being autistic (OR = 3.23, p = .008) and having increased autism knowledge (OR = 1.12, p < .001) were significant predictors of more accurate ToM scores. The third study examined the association between ToM scores, autism knowledge, autism experience and attitudes towards the hypothetical autistic employee in the vignette. Higher autism knowledge was associated with more positive attitudes towards the autistic employee’s competency and suitability for their job and social acceptability in the workplace, especially when participants demonstrated poor ToM abilities towards the autistic employee. Results from this study contribute to evidence supporting the DEP, shifting the paradigm of autistic social functioning and interventions away from a deficit model and towards addressing problems in the autistic/nonautistic social interaction. Recommended employment supports include workplace autism education and accommodations. These supports would help remove the barriers for autistic adults to obtaining and retaining employment, significantly impacting their adult functioning and quality of life.