Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are increasingly used in therapeutic and educational settings to improve the well-being of autistic people. This study investigated the potential of TTRPGs to provide a safe space where autistic adults could develop relationships with others while also engaging in character and world-building. Eight autistic…

Individuals who cope well with challenges may engage in social situations more successfully. We examined the association between coping behaviors, self-perceived competence, and social anxiety in everyday social situations. A total of 133 participants between the ages of 10 and 16 years (82 autistic, 51 neurotypical) carried a mobile device that…

Research on how adults react to receiving an autism diagnosis is focused on the United States or the United Kingdom context even though cultural differences might have an impact on these experiences. Few interventions for autistic adults exist, and when they do, they are often described as inappropriate. Our study aimed to explore the experiences…

Obsessive-compulsive disorder commonly co-occurs with autism. Research characterising the interplay between restricted, repetitive behaviours, activities and interests related to autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms has used theory-driven, bottom-up methodology. This study aimed to interview autistic adults about the subjective…

Autistic people diagnosed in adulthood often report that the experience can be life-changing, but there are issues with the diagnostic pathway. Few studies consider the views of people "currently" seeking diagnosis or contextualise the experience of diagnosis around developing an autistic identity. In this qualitative participatory…

Autistic meltdowns have been explored from the perspectives of parents, but there is a paucity of research on the experience of meltdowns from the autistic perspective. Little is known about how adults experience these events. In this descriptive phenomenological study, we conducted online interviews with 32 autistic adults on the experience of…

Autistic adults report high stress and impaired ability to cope with stressors. Mindfulness-based stress reduction targets individual's own resources to regulate stress responses. An open feasibility study was conducted in an outpatient context, recruiting autistic adults without intellectual disability. The intervention, guided by trained…

Insistence on Sameness has been pathologized as a subtype of restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities, in autism. We examined the meanings of Insistence on Sameness for autistic adults through the lens of critical autism studies and environmental psychology, exploring their foodways and experiences of food…

Many autistic people and people with non-spectrum neurodevelopmental disabilities (e.g. intellectual disability) report feeling lonely, which can negatively impact their well-being. There is little longitudinal research, however, tracking changes in how autistic people experience, conceptualize, and cope with loneliness throughout their lives. A…

Autistic girls and women experience more mental health difficulties and poorer well-being than their non-autistic peers. Little emphasis has been placed on the perspectives of the girls and women within the literature. This review aims to provide an overview of the factors that impact autistic females' emotional and social well-being and mental…

Difficulties regulating emotions during periods of distress may contribute to the high rates of co-occurring depression and anxiety in autistic adults. The emotional support plan (ESP) is a brief intervention designed to support autistic adults to use positive coping skills during periods of distress. Thirty-six autistic adults participated in…

Autistic people may camouflage their innate autistic social behaviours to adapt to, cope within and/or influence the predominately neurotypical social landscape. This study describes behaviours exhibited, altered or avoided by autistic adults whilst camouflaging (i.e. camouflaging behaviours). Using Interpersonal Process Recall methodology, 17…

The quality of life of autistic children and their parents is impacted by the stress they experience, their coping strategies and the availability of professional health, social and educational support services. Recent changes in the structural organisation of child disability professional supports in Ireland mean that in-depth knowledge about…

Studies commonly measure the challenges of caring for autistic adolescents and young adults, but scarcely explore the positive aspects of the caregiving experience. This study employed an equal-status concurrent mixed methods approach to quantitatively assess predictors of positive aspects of caregiving and qualitatively examine 174 caregivers'…

Elevated caregiver strain is common and linked to poor health in parents of children with autism. Yet, little research has examined caregiver strain longitudinally and in geographically diverse samples of parents whose children have autism. This study aimed to (1) examine change in caregiver strain and (2) determine correlates of improved…