Double Empathy as a Lens to Understand the Design Space for Inclusive Social Play Between Autistic and Neurotypical Children

Social play (SP) is a play activity that involves social interaction between children. Research has shown mixed groups (MG)1, which include autistic and neurotypical children, benefit more from mutual social interactions. However, inclusive SP in MG reveals challenges in terms of the differences between groups, by which autism is typically characterized. Previous research addressing these issues either only includes one group or only concerns the barriers for autistic children. Addressing this, we aim to understand the design space to support inclusive SP for MG. For this, we utilize the ‘double empathy problem’ that aims to focus on interpersonal issues rather than problems of one group. In this preliminary work, we conducted interviews with 6 professionals who support MG during SP and examined barriers and design insights. We argue our findings could assist in developing the design space and methods that aim to promote mutual understanding in SP research for MG.