Biography:Damian Milton

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Short description: British sociologist and social psychologist


Damian Milton
BornAugust 1973 (age 50)
CitizenshipBritish
Alma mater
Known forAutism research, double empathy problem
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsUniversity of Kent
ThesisEducational Discourse and the Autistic Student: A Study Using Q-sort Methodology (2015)

Damian Elgin Maclean Milton (born August 1973[1]) is a British sociologist and social psychologist who specialises in autism research and an autism rights advocate. He is a lecturer at the University of Kent as well as a consultant for the United Kingdom's National Autistic Society and has academic qualifications in sociology, psychology, philosophy, and education.[2][3](p13)

Milton's interest in autism began when his son was diagnosed as autistic in 2005 at two years old. Milton himself was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in 2009 at the age of 36.[3](p13)[4]

Milton is best known for his "double empathy problem" theory first published in 2012,[5][6][7] which is the idea that, contrary to what previous studies in the late 20th century had concluded, autistic people are not inherently deficient in empathy but rather that autistic and non-autistic people bidirectionally struggle with empathy and communicating with one another.[8][9][10] While the concept had existed in earlier discourse, dating back to arguments voiced by activists like Jim Sinclair since the 1990s, Milton named and significantly expanded on it.[3](p10)[10]

Milton has co-authored over 250 publications[2] related to autism. His work is influenced by the social model of disability,[3](pp10–12)[7] and many of his publications deconstruct and critically analyse past theories. For example, he has argued that self-stimulatory behavior (stimming) should be viewed positively and may help autistic people achieve flow states.[11] His work has been favourably received by the academic[9][10][12] as well as the autistic community.[6][13]

He has spoken out against the Spectrum 10K project, questioning whether it truly was contributing to the well-being of autistic people.[14]

Selected works

Journal articles

  • 2012: On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem'[5]
  • 2012: The normalisation agenda and the psycho-emotional disablement of autistic people[15]
  • 2013: Autistics speak but are they heard?[16]
  • 2014: Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies[17]
  • 2016: How is a sense of well-being and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults?[18]
  • 2018: Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation[19]
  • 2018: Redefining Critical Autism Studies: a more inclusive interpretation[20]

Books

References

  1. ↑ "Damian Elgin Maclean MILTON personal appointments" (in en). Companies House. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/zPeIoWernt32r4D36lY_H6kgl6s/appointments. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Dr Damian Milton - Senior Lecturer in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities" (in en-GB). 2 February 2022. https://www.kent.ac.uk/social-policy-sociology-social-research/people/1419/milton-damian. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Milton, Damian (2012). "So what exactly is autism?". Autism Education Trust. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62698/1/So%20what%20exactly%20is%20autism.pdf. 
  4. ↑ "Dr Damian Milton". https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/generic/transform-autism-education/project-team/damian-milton.aspx. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Milton, Damian E.M. (1 October 2012). "On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem'". Disability & Society 27 (6): 883–887. doi:10.1080/09687599.2012.710008. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62639/1/Double%20empathy%20problem.pdf. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Rozsa, Matthew (6 June 2021). "Being autistic may amount to a language difference — not an impairment" (in en). https://www.salon.com/2021/06/06/being-autistic-may-amount-to-a-language-difference-not-an-impairment/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Love, Shayla (2022-03-29). "What Does Neurodiversity Even Mean?" (in en). Vice Media. https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7dnzm/what-does-it-mean-to-have-a-weird-brain-in-the-age-of-neurodiversity. 
  8. ↑ Milton, Damian Elgin Maclean; Heasman, Brett; Sheppard, Elizabeth (2020). "Double Empathy". in Volkmar, Fred R.. Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. New York, NY: Springer. pp. 1–9. doi:10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102273-2. ISBN 978-1-4614-6435-8. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Askham, Angie Voyles (2022-04-08). "'Theory of mind' in autism: A research field reborn". Spectrum (Simons Foundation). doi:10.53053/GXNC7576. https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/theory-of-mind-in-autism-a-research-field-reborn/. 
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Zamzow, Rachel (2021-07-22). "Double empathy, explained". Spectrum (Simons Foundation). doi:10.53053/MMNL2849. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/double-empathy-explained/. 
  11. ↑ Damian Milton (2014). "Going with the flow: reconsidering 'repetitive behaviour' through the concept of 'flow states'". in Glenys Jones and Elizabeth Hurley (in en). Good Autism Practice: autism, happiness and wellbeing. Birmingham, UK: BILD. pp. 38–47. ISBN 978-1-905218-35-6. 
  12. ↑ Woods, Richard; Waltz, Mitzi (21 June 2019). "The strength of autistic expertise and its implications for autism knowledge production: A response to Damian Milton". Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies 1 (6). https://shura.shu.ac.uk/24752/1/Woods_StrengthofAutistic%28AM%29.pdf. Retrieved 2023-05-11. 
  13. ↑ "Milton's 'double empathy problem': A summary for non-academics" (in en-AU). Reframing Autism. 2020-12-17. https://reframingautism.org.au/miltons-double-empathy-problem-a-summary-for-non-academics/. 
  14. ↑ Askham, Angie Voyles; Dattaro, Laura (2021-10-18). "Backlash from autistic community pauses research, exposes communication gaps". Spectrum (Simons Foundation). doi:10.53053/ZQIJ5133. https://www.spectrumnews.org/news/backlash-from-autistic-community-pauses-research-exposes-communication-gaps/. 
  15. ↑ Milton, Damian; Moon, Lyte (2012). "The normalisation agenda and the psycho-emotional disablement of autistic people". Autonomy, the Critical Journal of Interdisciplinary Autism Studies 1 (1): 1–12. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62638/1/Normalisation%20agenda.pdf. 
  16. ↑ Milton, Damian; Bracher, Mike (June 2013). "Autistics speak but are they heard?". Medical Sociology Online 7 (2): 61–69. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62635/1/__bodiam_SZR_demm2_My%20Files_MSo_Corrected.pdf. 
  17. ↑ Milton, Damian EM (17 March 2014). "Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies" (in en). Autism 18 (7): 794–802. doi:10.1177/1362361314525281. PMID 24637428. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62633/1/Autistic%20expertise.pdf. 
  18. ↑ Milton, Damian; Sims, Tara (20 April 2016). "How is a sense of well-being and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults?". Disability & Society 31 (4): 520–534. doi:10.1080/09687599.2016.1186529. https://kar.kent.ac.uk/62627/1/AU%20study%20.pdf. 
  19. ↑ Fletcher-Watson, Sue; Adams, Jon; Brook, Kabie; Charman, Tony; Crane, Laura; Cusack, James; Leekam, Susan; Milton, Damian et al. (2018). "Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation" (in en). Autism 23 (4): 943–953. doi:10.1177/1362361318786721. PMID 30095277. 
  20. ↑ Woods, Richard; Milton, Damian; Arnold, Larry; Graby, Steve (3 July 2018). "Redefining Critical Autism Studies: a more inclusive interpretation". Disability & Society 33 (6): 974–979. doi:10.1080/09687599.2018.1454380. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2018.1454380. 

External links



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