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While the autism diagnosis emphasizes “deficits” in social communication, the article advances that sensory–movement differences underpin autism through a re...

This narrative review analyzes the visual and auditory advantages that autistic people with speech divergence (A-SD) may have compared with autistic people without speech divergence (A-NoSD) or non-a...

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Kennedy’s appointees promoted ‘treatments’ like bleach enemas, but new committee has only one autistic member

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Background: Emerging research suggests that puberty and adolescence may be particularly difficult for autistic people assigned female at birth (AFAB), but there is currently very little exploration of this transition from a lived experience perspective. In this study, we aimed to retrospectively examine firsthand accounts of puberty and adolescence among AFAB autistic people, the first study to our knowledge to broadly do so. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 autistic people AFAB about their personal experience of puberty and adolescence. We used reflexive thematic analysis to generate themes from the data. Results: We developed three main themes from the data. Theme 1, “The overwhelming nature of puberty,” focused on issues such as distressing bodily changes and sensory discomfort (e.g., menstruation). Theme 2, “Navigating the adolescent world,” focused on the experience of feeling different, trying to cope with not fitting in, and finding support in others. Theme 3, “Victimization experiences,” highlighted the prevalence of social and sexual violence against our participants. Conclusions: Overall, our findings suggest that puberty and adolescence can be an especially difficult time for autistic people AFAB. In addition to bodily changes such as menstruation, dealing with sensory discomfort and a rapidly changing social landscape can result in extreme distress.

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Background: Emerging research suggests that puberty and adolescence may be particularly difficult for autistic people assigned female at birth (AFAB), but there is currently very little exploration of...

Make the world a better place by participating in cutting edge behavioural research. Powered by Gorilla

Learn how to make a positive difference in the lives of people with learning disabilities, as well as their families and supporters, on our MSc Psychology and Learning Disability course. This 2 year, ...