Revisiting a walking interview with autistic and neurotypical individuals : a collaborative autoethnography of cross-neurotype communication

Abstract

We revisited a walking interview from an earlier study to explore how communication unfolds in cross-neurotype settings. Using collaborative autoethnography with photo-elicitation recall, five researchers, including one outsider who had not joined the original interview, reflected on how our identities, relationships, and environments shaped the interaction. The autistic participant described clarity in the interviewers’ speech but also difficulty balancing conversation with the sensory intensity of the natural setting. Neurotypical participants responded in different ways, with some hesitating and others finding greater ease. This shows that challenges were not uniform but varied according to roles, knowledge, and power. Reflexive analysis revealed hidden forms of the neurotypical gaze, including silence misread as detachment, protective stances that muted autistic voices, and well-intentioned guidance that risked generalising autistic communication. At the same time, shifts in authority, trust, and openness created a neuro-shared space that enabled more balanced collaboration. Our findings extend the Double Empathy Problem by demonstrating that cross-neurotype communication is co-constructed through both tension and reciprocity. Situated in a Southeast Asian context, the study highlights the importance of making neurotypical perspectives visible and critically adapting methods such as walking interviews in autism research.