A reflective guide on the meaning of empathy in autism research

Empathy is an often researched but highly ambiguous concept. This makes research on empathy prone to miscommunication and misinterpretation. Careful reflection on what is meant by empathy in a certain context is essential. As the scope of the variety of possible meanings of empathy one could encounter is vast, such reflection would benefit from...

Towards a Clear and Fair Conceptualization of Empathy

Empathy is operationalised and measured in various different ways in research. I have identified several trends in empathy research that have resulted in what I refer to as neurotypical gatekeeping of the concept of empathy. Narrow assumptions on the relationship between experiences and expressions have made the concept exclusive to those who...

Un-Impaired Study: A study on inclusive study spaces

At the TU Delft, 9% of the students officially have an impairment, however, estimates go up to 30% (Centrum Hoger Onderwijs Informatie, 2019). The TU Delft is building new spaces to accommodate its students but seems to do so for the median student. Little research has been conducted into the environmental needs of students in higher education...

Perceiving 'Other' Minds: Autism, 4E Cognition, and the Idea of Neurodiversity

The neurodiversity movement has called for a rethinking of autistic mindedness. It rejects the commonplace tendency to theorize autism by foregrounding a set of deficiencies in behavioural, cognitive, and affective areas. Instead, the idea is, our conception of autistic mindedness ought to foreground that autistic persons, often in virtue of...