1. Albin M, Chawrun I, Tint A. Rethinking Social Communication Support: Exploring Communication Partner Training for Autistic Adults and Their Neurotypical Communication Partners. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):535-542.

Autistic and neurotypical people often have difficulty communicating effectively with one another and understanding each other’s experiences. Despite evidence that communication breakdowns occur at the interactional level, most social communication interventions focus only on behaviors to be changed by autistic adults, and rely heavily on teaching neurotypical social skills. In this Perspective, we draw on our experiences as a mixed-neurotype team of clinicians, researchers, and advocates to argue that a new framework for social communication support is needed. Specifically, we propose that communication partner training (CPT), an umbrella term for programs that teach strategies to people with communication differences and communication partners alike, is an appropriate framework to guide future social communication support for autistic adults and their neurotypical communication partners. We provide an overview of how CPT is currently used with adults with acquired communication differences (e.g., aphasia, traumatic brain injury) and their communication partners. We highlight three key components of such programs: (i) promoting increased knowledge and understanding of communication differences and each person’s unique communication profile; (ii) adapting the communication environment; (iii) and identifying collaborative strategies that people with communication differences and their communication partners can use to foster meaningful interactions. We acknowledge that there are important fundamental differences between autistic adults and people with acquired communication differences; however, we propose that CPT can be used to inform social communication support for autistic adults and their neurotypical communication partners. We provide recommendations for future CPT program development within autism research. Some recommendations include the need to acknowledge each person’s intersecting identities and the dynamic impact of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on communication. We also recommend future research to explore ways that CPT can be applied to newly diagnosed autistic adults, as well as autistic youth, and their communication partners. Finally, we highlight the importance of foregrounding future program development in the lived experience of autistic adults and their communication partners.

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2. Ridgway K, Cooke K, Demmer DH, Hooley M, Westrupp E, Stokes MA. Camouflaging Autism in Pursuit of Friendship and Intimate Relationships: A Systematic Review. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):543-557.

Background: Difficulties in making and maintaining social relationships is common among autistic people. These difficulties are thought to be due to differences in autistic social interaction and social communication that have been theorized to be the result of reduced social motivation. We argue that this theory does not account for camouflaging, a combination of strategies that are employed frequently by many autistic individuals in pursuit of obtaining social relationships; however, its utility in achieving satisfactory friendship and intimate relationships for the individual is not clear. Method: This review synthesizes empirical evidence of camouflaging as a strategy for achieving friendships and/or intimate relationships among autistic adolescents and adults. A systematic search yielded 1421 records. Forty-nine full texts were screened, and eight qualitative studies were retained. Results: Results reveal that camouflaging was a main strategy in pursuit of friendship, with little evidence for intimate relationships, in this sample of autistic adolescents and adults. For most, camouflaging is exhausting, often ineffective and inefficient, and ultimately a challenge to one?s social authenticity. Discussion/Conclusion: Research suggests that many autistic individuals rely on camouflaging in pursuit of friendship and intimate relationships, although this is often a nonpreferred strategy. Some autistic individuals seek to replace camouflage with alternative strategies to obtain social relationships, yet outcomes typically remain dissatisfying. This demonstrates that we need to reconsider the social motivation theory, and to better understand alternative strategies that can help autistic individuals to obtain authentic, satisfactory social relationships, and to support opportunities to achieve these desired outcomes.

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3. Nachman BR. “Listening with Your Heart”: Autism Support Program Faculty Experiences in Teaching Autistic College Students. Autism in Adulthood;2025 (2025/10/01);7(5):558-567.

Background: As more autistic college students enroll in higher education, the need for capable faculty to support their learning experiences rises. Although well intentioned, many educators are not always the most adept in supporting their autistic learners. This descriptive phenomenological reflective lifeworld research seeks to understand the essence of autism-specific college support program faculty experiences in teaching autistic college students. Methods: This study entailed conducting interviews with four full-time faculty, two staff who teach part-time, and eight other administrators or staff at a community college boasting an autism-specific college support program. Additionally, the author drew on observing a classroom session, program information session, and the campus via a tour, as well as course syllabi, to provide a fuller picture. Dahlberg and colleagues? data analysis methods provided a mechanism for interpreting the information. Results: Four themes helped describe the essence of faculty experiences in teaching their autistic learners: unfamiliarity, flexibility, disruption, and optimism. Whereas faculty may, at first, lack familiarity with autism, they draw on that desire for further knowledge to directly learn from their students, creating opportunities for trust building. They also welcome feedback from students and fellow staff alike to engage in flexible teaching techniques. Adaptability and willingness to learn help them navigate difficult course experiences. These experiences ultimately enhance faculty members? confidence to teach autistic learners and translate inclusive teaching measures to their courses writ large. Conclusion: This study unveils the many aspects of faculty members? experiences in interacting with autistic students, particularly within the unique landscape of a college with an autism-specific college support program that highlights neurodiversity. Importantly, this study contributes new knowledge about how faculty draw on their resources, knowledge, and past teaching experiences to shape their iterative approaches to working with autistic students.

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4. O’Brien C, Jellett R, Flower RL. “Basically, it’s that she accepts me as I am”: Autistic Adults’ Positive Experiences with Psychologists in Australia. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):568-580.

Background: Despite their increased need for mental health support, Autistic adults often report dissatisfaction with the care they receive. Although research focused on barriers and limitations to health care for Autistic adults is informative, it may not offer guidance to professionals looking to learn about how to meet the needs of Autistic clients. Limited research has explored Autistic adults’ interactions with psychologists, and no known study has explored their positive therapy experiences. Methods: We conducted semi-structured online interviews with nine Autistic adults (aged 20?46 years) in Australia to learn about their positive experiences working with psychologists. Results: We developed four primary themes and nine subthemes using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Primary themes included (1) ?A Clear Sense of Direction,? (2) ?Understand the Autistic Brain,? (3) ?Creating a Safe Space,? and (4) ?A Huge Flow on Impact.? Participants described having worked with psychologists who understood Autism, were flexible and accommodating, followed a strengths-based approach, and facilitated self-understanding and self-acceptance through helping clients to feel heard and validated. Conclusion: There are actions psychologists can take to promote a positive therapy experience for Autistic adults, and relational factors that facilitate a positive experience. A positive therapy experience can contribute to Autistic adult clients feeling heard and validated, which can have a flow on impact to improve their self-perception. We have developed a proposed model of care that outlines accommodations psychologists can consider when providing therapy to Autistic adults.

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5. Foster SJ, Jones DR, Pinkham AE, Sasson NJ. Facial Affect Differences in Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults Across Contexts and Their Relationship to First-Impression Formation. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):581-593.

Background: Autistic people often receive unfavorable first impressions from non-autistic people, likely because of stigma related to divergent social presentations and expressive behaviors. Although facial expressivity influences first impressions in the general population, no research has examined whether expressivity differences in autism relate to the formation of first impressions by non-autistic people. It is also unclear whether facial expressivity in autism varies depending upon contextual demands and whether this affects first impressions. Methods: We video-recorded 21 autistic and 21 non-autistic adults in two contexts, interviewing for their ideal job and discussing a personal interest, and quantified the percentage of video frames displaying positive, neutral, and negative facial affect using iMotions software. We also compared facial affect between the autistic and non-autistic groups within and between contexts. Later, 335 non-autistic undergraduates rated participants using the First Impression Scale to assess whether impressions were modulated by context and showed associations with facial expressivity. Results: Findings demonstrated that autistic and non-autistic adults differed in overall emotional expressivity, with non-autistic participants displaying more positive affect at a trend-level than autistic participants. Autistic adults also received less favorable first impressions, and these showed some correspondence with their emotional expressivity. For example, their displays of negative affect were moderately to strongly related to worse impressions in the job interview context, a pattern not found to the same degree for non-autistic participants. Impressions of autistic participants also improved more than for non-autistic ones when talking about a personal interest compared with the job interview context, and when their diagnosis was disclosed to observers. Discussion: Collectively, these findings indicate that autistic people demonstrate divergent facial emotional expressivity that relates to the less favorable impressions they receive from non-autistic observers. Context and diagnostic disclosure also affect how autistic people are perceived.

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6. Kuzminski R, Bölte S, Lawson W, Falkmer M, Black MH, Girdler S, Milbourn B. A Coproduced Exploration of Factors Influential to Quality of Life from the Perspective of Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):594-611.

Purpose: Autistic adults reportedly experience poorer quality of life (QoL) than their non-autistic peers. However, many tools used to measure their QoL were not developed for autistic adults, but for the general population. It is possible that factors contributing to the QoL of autistic individuals could vary from that of the general population, meaning commonly used tools may inadequately capture the nuances of autistic QoL. It is, therefore, imperative that autistic QoL is comprehensively conceptualized from the perspective of autistic adults. Methods: We used a qualitative semi-structured interview methodology guided by an overarching coproduction approach to capture factors contributing to autistic QoL. A research team, including an autistic researcher and a steering group of five autistic adults, worked together throughout the entire research process. An additional autistic researcher provided consultation about how to authentically coproduce this research. Coproducing this research included the steering group and autistic researcher in developing the methodology, the interview guide, and the thematic analysis and naming of the themes. We interviewed 29 autistic adults aged 18?55 who lived in Australia. Results: Coproduced thematic analysis identified five themes: activities and routines; relationship supports and socialization; mind and body; personal experiences; and environment. Participants described how subthemes within each theme positively and/or negatively impacted their QoL. Examples of subthemes that may represent factors uniquely impacting QoL for autistic adults include understanding their self-identity, sensory experiences, and the impact of societal attitudes. Conclusion: While some elements identified by autistic adults also appear in non-autistic conceptualizations of QoL, the impact and importance of these factors may vary from non-autistic experiences. We also identified some factors that may uniquely impact QoL for autistic adults.

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7. Stephenson H, Thom-Jones S, Lowe J, Milne L. “I Know It’s Very Spectrum-y”: Autistic Women Reflect on Sensory Aspects of Food and Eating. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):612-622.

Background: There is scant research on autism-related eating challenges in autistic adults. Characteristics often associated with autism (e.g., sensory sensitivities, cognitive rigidity) may underpin issues with food and eating in autistic adults. Contextual factors also play a role, although they are rarely accounted for. Methods: This study explored autistic women?s experiences of sensory aspects of food and eating utilizing a critical realism orientation and reflexive thematic analysis. Ten semi-structured interviews explored autistic women?s food and eating experiences. Interviews were conducted online, audio recorded, and transcribed. Results: Three core themes were identified from qualitative data analysis: (a) sensory factors influence experiences of food, eating, and eating environments; (b) impact of trauma; and (c) internalization of societal stereotypes. A novel finding was the high prevalence of participants who reported seeking pleasurable sensory stimulation via food and eating. Distress was linked to lack of understanding of autistic sensory food and eating needs by nonautistic individuals. Participants also used nonautistic experiences and societal stereotypes as a benchmark for which food and eating tendencies are acceptable. Conclusions: Further research is urgently needed to develop our understanding of how sensory factors and societal stigma influence food and eating experiences of autistic women and the broader autistic community.

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8. Ashburner J, Glastonbury E, Bobir N, Sanders D, Swift E, Rietberg E, Hill J. In Search of a Good Person-to-Job Fit: Perspectives of Autistic Clients, Their Family Members, and Employers of a Pilot Autism-Specific Employment Program. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):623-637.

Employment is an important factor contributing to the quality of life of autistic individuals. However, autistic people are substantially underrepresented in the workforce, and are more likely than non-autistic people to be in part-time/casual positions and/or in jobs for which they were overqualified. Current employment programs often cater to a limited range of autistic jobseekers. This project explored participants? perceptions of an autism-specific, client-led employment program, Autism EmployABLE, with respect to (1) the program?s helpfulness and aspects that could be improved and (2) the clients? happiness, confidence, and feelings of independence after gaining employment. We employed a hybrid approach for content analysis of semi-structured interviews to explore the perspectives of 15 autistic clients, 6 family members, and 5 employers. Interview data revealed that almost all participants perceived Autism EmployABLE to be helpful, and that it aligned well with the Person?Environment?Occupation (PEO) Model of Occupational Performance, in that it addressed the interaction between person (e.g., interests, strengths), environment (workplace factors), and occupation (e.g., job tasks). Perceived benefits of the program included enhanced client confidence and independence, and improved outcomes compared with generic disability employment services. Suggested improvements included opportunities for clients to meet and share experiences, access to industry-specific mentoring, provision of written materials, and aptitude testing for specific roles. This study provides preliminary support for the benefits of Autism EmployABLE and highlights the importance of sourcing positions that match each client?s skills and interests to achieve the outcome considered critical to employment success?good person-to-job fit.

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9. Smethurst LJ, Thompson AR, Freeth M. “I’ve Absolutely Reached Rock Bottom and Have No Energy”: The Lived Experience of Unemployed and Underemployed Autistic Adults. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):638-649.

Background: Autistic adults are underrepresented in the employment market, and those in work are commonly underemployed. Our study aimed to gain an understanding of autistic adults? experiences of unemployment and underemployment. Methods: Eight autistic adults who self-identified as currently unemployed or underemployed who were actively seeking to change their employment status participated in semi-structured interviews, analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Four group experiential themes were identified: feeling paralyzed (the past weighs heavy; fragile self-confidence); powerlessness (lack of agency; systemic support failures); negative perceptions (feeling misunderstood; fear of judgment; pressure to meet societal expectations); and recognizing our needs (managing mental health difficulties; importance of self-understanding). Participants felt paralyzed by employment experiences, which impacted their confidence to progress with their career aspirations. Autistic people felt misunderstood, judged, and powerless within support systems, which had implications for their mental health. Participants recognized the importance of managing their mental health needs during times of unemployment and underemployment via self-care and seeking psychological support. Conclusion: Putting resource into understanding, acknowledging, and addressing processes within and around employment should be priorities for policy makers if they are serious about improving support to help autistic people find and stay in work.

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10. Davies J, Redmayne B, Allain L, Portway L, Mandy W, Cooper K, Crane L. The Codesign and Initial Evaluation of a Peer Support Program for Autistic Young Adults. Autism in Adulthood;2024 (2025/10/01);7(5):650-662.

Postdiagnostic support can be useful for any autistic person, but it may be especially important for young adults (16?25 years) who may be negotiating their autistic identity while also navigating the transition to adulthood. Yet there is a lack of tailored support for this group. In this study, we document the process of codesigning a six-session online peer support program aiming to support young people to navigate their autistic identity in the transition to adulthood. Through documenting discussions within our research team, we provide three key reflections underpinning the success of our codesign process as follows: (1) maximizing success through preparation; (2) facilitating effective, respectful communication; and (3) empowering meaningful collaboration. We also collected qualitative feedback from program attendees, which we analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. This feedback highlighted how attendees appreciated the opportunity for self-discovery and to develop their understanding of autism. They also valued the social connections formed during the program. Finally, they said they benefited from the practical strategies they developed. Overall, these insights contribute to the growing body of knowledge on participatory autism research and highlight good practices when meaningfully involving autistic people in shaping the support programs that directly impact their lives. The peer support program, Understanding You, Discovering You, warrants further, more rigorous evaluation in future studies.

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