Damian Milton

Damian Elgin Maclean Milton (born August 1973) is a British sociologist and social psychologist who specialises in autism research, and an advocate in the autism rights movement. 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.[1][2]

Damian Milton
BornAugust 1973 (age 49)
CitizenshipBritish
Alma mater
Known forAutism research
Scientific career
Fields
InstitutionsUniversity of Kent
ThesisEducational Discourse and the Autistic Student: A Study Using Q-sort Methodology (2015)
Neurodiversity paradigm
Philosophy
Organizations
Events
Issues
People
Films
Criticism

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

Milton is best known for his "double empathy problem" theory,[4] which is the idea that, contrary to previous studies in the 20th century had concluded, autistic people do not lack theory of mind but rather that autistic people and neurotypical people struggle with bidirectional theory of mind and communication towards one another due to their neurological differences.[5] While the concept had existed in earlier publications, Milton named and significantly expanded on it.[6]

Milton has been involved with (written or co-written) over 250 publications[1] related to autism research. In his writing, he uses the social model of disability,[7] and many of his publications deconstruct and critically analyse past theories. One of his theories is that self-stimulatory behavior, also known as stimming, helps autistic people to create flow states.[8] His papers describing the need for more autistic voices have been favourably received by the academic community[9] as well as the autistic community.[4][10] His work has influenced autism groups and major autism researchers such as Simon Baron-Cohen to involve more autistic people in their programs and research.[10][11] The Genetic Literacy Project has criticised his work to improve communication between autistic and neurotypical people by claiming it oversimplifies the ways people with different types of autism process information and communicate.[12]

Selected works

Journal articles
  • 2014: Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies[13]
  • 2013: Autistics speak but are they heard?[14]
  • 2014: Going with the flow: reconsidering 'repetitive behaviour' through the concept of 'flow states'[8]
  • 2016: How is a sense of well-being and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults?[15]
  • 2018: Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation[16]
  • 2012: On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem'[5]
  • 2021: Questionnaires used in complex trauma intervention evaluations and consideration of their utility for autistic adults with mild intellectual disability: A systematic review[17]
  • 2018: Redefining Critical Autism Studies: a more inclusive interpretation[18]
  • 2022: The human spectrum: A phenomenological enquiry within neurodiversity[19]

Books
  • Milton, Damian; Ridout, Susy; Martin, Nicola; Mills, Richard; Murray, Dinah (2020). The neurodiversity reader: Exploring concepts, lived experience and implications for practice. Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex: Pavilion Publishing and Media Limited. ISBN 978-1-914010-94-1. OCLC 1294123540.
  • Milton, Damian (2017). A mismatch of salience : explorations of the nature of autism from theory to practice. Hove, East Sussex. ISBN 978-1-911028-76-5. OCLC 1019482019.

References
  1. "Dr Damian Milton - Senior Lecturer in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities". Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research - University of Kent. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  2. Milton, Damian (2012). "So what exactly is autism" (PDF). Autism Education Trust. S2CID 53514070. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  3. "Dr Damian Milton". www.birmingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 March 2023.
  4. Angie Voyles Askham (4 August 2022). "'Theory of mind' in autism: A research field reborn". Spectrum | Autism Research News. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  5. Milton, Damian E.M. (1 October 2012). "On the ontological status of autism: the 'double empathy problem'" (PDF). Disability & Society. 27 (6): 883–887. doi:10.1080/09687599.2012.710008. ISSN 0968-7599. S2CID 54047060.
  6. Rozsa, Matthew (6 June 2021). "Being autistic may amount to a language difference — not an impairment". Salon. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  7. Love, Shayla (2022). "What Does Neurodiversity Even Mean?". Vice Media. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  8. Damian Milton (2014). "Going with the flow: reconsidering 'repetitive behaviour' through the concept of 'flow states'". In Glenys Jones and Elizabeth Hurley (ed.). Good Autism Practice: autism, happiness and wellbeing. Birmingham, UK: BILD. pp. 38–47. ISBN 978-1-905218-35-6.
  9. 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). Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  10. Angie Voyles Askham, Laura Dattaro (18 October 2021). "Backlash from autistic community pauses research, exposes communication gaps". Spectrum | Autism Research News. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  11. Sanderson, Katharine (27 September 2021). "High-profile autism genetics project paused amid backlash". Nature. 598 (7879): 17–18. Bibcode:2021Natur.598...17S. doi:10.1038/d41586-021-02602-7. PMID 34580484. S2CID 238202946. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  12. Bill Williams (1 November 2021). "Viewpoint: Advocacy or orthodoxy? How the neurodiversity movement that has sought to normalize autism is changing, and not always for the best". Genetic Literacy Project. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  13. Milton, Damian EM (17 March 2014). "Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies". Autism. 18 (7): 794–802. doi:10.1177/1362361314525281. ISSN 1362-3613. PMID 24637428. S2CID 206715678.
  14. Milton, Damian; Bracher, Mike (1 June 2013). "Autistics speak but are they heard?". BSA Medical Sociology Online. 7: 61–69. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  15. 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. ISSN 0968-7599. S2CID 148279014.
  16. Fletcher-Watson, Sue; Adams, Jon; Brook, Kabie; Charman, Tony; Crane, Laura; Cusack, James; Leekam, Susan; Milton, Damian; Parr, Jeremy R; Pellicano, Elizabeth (2018). "Making the future together: Shaping autism research through meaningful participation". Autism. 23 (4): 943–953. doi:10.1177/1362361318786721. ISSN 1362-3613. PMC 6512245. PMID 30095277.
  17. Wigham, Sarah; McKinnon, Iain; Reid, Keith; Milton, Damian; Lingam, Ravi; Rodgers, Jacqui (1 October 2021). "Questionnaires used in complex trauma intervention evaluations and consideration of their utility for autistic adults with mild intellectual disability: A systematic review". Research in Developmental Disabilities. 117: 104039. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104039.
  18. 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. ISSN 0968-7599. S2CID 150275912.
  19. Murray, Dinah; Milton, Damian; Green, Jonathan; Bervoets, Jo (30 September 2022). "The Human Spectrum: A Phenomenological Enquiry within Neurodiversity". Psychopathology: 1–11. doi:10.1159/000526213. ISSN 0254-4962.
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