The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
How is a sense of well-being and belonging constructed in the accounts of autistic adults?
Open accessAbstract
This small-scale exploratory study sought to develop an understanding of the meaning of well-being and social belonging as represented within the narratives of adults on the autism spectrum. Employing an interpretivist approach facilitated the investigation of potential contributory factors to these lived experiences in order to inform further research regarding both this topic, and service provision for adults on the autism spectrum. The project involved a thematic analysis of issues of the magazine Asperger United (AU). Four broad main themes were identified: meeting personal needs, living with the consequences of an ‘othered’ identity, connection and recognition, and relationships and advocacy. Autistic adults reported many barriers to feeling that they belonged in a number of social spaces and the detrimental effect this had on their wellbeing. Fundamental to positive narratives of wellbeing, were feelings of connection and recognition from others and positive accepting relationships, with autistic-led spaces, particularly the Autscape conference, being frequently cited as of central significance in increasing feelings of wellbeing and belonging. This study has demonstrated a need for less focus on remediation and more on limiting the social isolation of autistic people.
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“Repetitive behaviors and focused interests are important to the internal regulation and well-being of many Autistic individuals (Kapp et al., 2019; Manor-Binyamini & Schreiber-Divon, 2019; Milton & Sims, 2016; see also Grove et al., 2018).”
From Neurodiversity and Autism Intervention: Reconciling Perspectives Through a Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention Framework (2022) · cites this paper as Milton & Sims, 2016
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“For instance, Milton and Sims found that a key reason autistic people attributed to hindering their wellbeing was barriers to belonging, rather than simply their being autistic (Milton & Sims, 2016).”
From Neurodiversity, epistemic injustice, and the good human life (2022) · cites this paper as Milton & Sims, 2016
In the citing paper
“The term masking was used in 1969 to mean concealing disgust (Ekman & Friesen, 1969) and has since come to be used within the autistic community to mean hiding one’s symptoms (Milton & Sims, 2016; Willey & Attwood, 2015).”
From The experiences of adults with ADHD in interpersonal relationships and online communities: A qualitative study (2023) · cites this paper as Milton & Sims, 2016
In the citing paper
“having the opportunity to engage with others who are like-minded and to develop one’s sense of belonging is thought to be important to the well-being of autistic adults (Milton and Sims 2016).”
From Experiences of autism acceptance and mental health in autistic adults (2018) · cites this paper as Milton and Sims 2016
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Cites
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006) · Qualitative Research in Psychology · doi:10.1191/1478088706qp063oa · Cited by 194,414
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On the ontological status of autism: the ‘double empathy problem’
Milton, D. E. M. (2012) · Disability & Society · doi:10.1080/09687599.2012.710008 · Cited by 2,082
Self-citationTeaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2013) · UWE Research Repository (UWE Bristol) · Cited by 1,872
Mental health, resilience and inequalities
Friedli, L. (2009) · Cited by 477
Autistic expertise: A critical reflection on the production of knowledge in autism studies
Milton, D. E. (2014) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361314525281 · Cited by 421
Self-citationRobertson, S. M. (2009) · Disability Studies Quarterly · doi:10.18061/dsq.v30i1.1069 · Cited by 305
Research works printed but not linked: 13
- Beardon L., 2007, The ASPECT Consultancy Report: A National Report on the Needs of Adults with Asperger Syndrome
- Bracher M., 2014, ADRC Service Evaluation and Development Project: Post-Diagnostic Service Development Study
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Risk markers for suicidality in autistic adults
Cassidy, S., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2018) · Molecular Autism · doi:10.1186/s13229-018-0226-4 · Cited by 621
Pearson, A., & Rose, K. (2021) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0043 · Cited by 596
Experiences of autism acceptance and mental health in autistic adults
Cage, E., Di Monaco, J., & Newell, V. (2018) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3342-7 · Cited by 538
Camm-Crosbie, L., Bradley, L., Shaw, R., Baron-Cohen, S., & Cassidy, S. (2019) · Autism · doi:10.1177/1362361318816053 · Cited by 415
“Little is currently known about well-being in autism (Robeyns, 2016), but autonomy and a sense of belonging could be particularly important (Milton and Sims, 2016), similar to the general population (Pelton and Cassidy, 2017; Van Orden et al.”
‘Masking is life’: experiences of masking in autistic and nonautistic adults
Miller, D., Rees, J., & Pearson, A. (2021) · Autism in Adulthood · doi:10.1089/aut.2020.0083 · Cited by 321
Metadata
- Authors
- Milton, D., & Sims, T.
- Affiliations
- London South Bank University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Milton, Damian
- Venue
- Disability & Society
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2016-04-20
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 520-534
- ISSN
- 0267-4645 (ISSN-L)
- 0968-7599
- 1360-0508
- OpenAlex
- W2415653571
- Cited by
- 225
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 37 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 25 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 4.68
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- kar.kent.ac.uk
- Locations
- Disability & Society (publishedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (acceptedVersion)
- Kent Academic Repository (University of Kent) (submittedVersion)
- University of Brighton Repository (University of Brighton) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Disability Rights and Representation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Keywords
- autistic adults, well-being, social belonging, lived experience, othering, social isolation, advocacy, relationships, recognition
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