It’s part of me: autistic adolescents thoughts and feelings towards their autistic identity/autism diagnosis

Abstract

Introduction Adolescence is characterized by active and ongoing identity development. Autism is one aspect of identity and positive feelings about one’s autistic identity predict better self-esteem and psychological wellbeing among autistic people. This study aimed to explore autistic adolescents’ thoughts, feelings, and attitudes about their autism diagnosis. Methods Sixty autistic adolescents (Average Age = 16.65 years) in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area participated in brief semi-structured interviews asking the adolescents to describe their current diagnoses, feelings toward those diagnoses, and whether they disclose their diagnoses to friends or feel comfortable talking about them in social settings. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to code interview responses and generate themes. Results From the interviews, five main themes were generated related to participant feelings toward their autism diagnosis: 1) value of neurodivergent community, 2) autism terminology, 3) stigma or stereotypes about autism, 4) journey to understanding, and 5) autistic identity. Conclusion This study highlights the diverse, complex, and nuanced thoughts autistic adolescents have about their autism diagnosis. Factors such as internalized stigma, neurodivergent community, and knowledge about autism impact identification with an autism diagnosis. Our findings emphasize the importance of neurodivergent community and neurodiversity-affirming views to increase positive autistic identity and self-acceptance.