"I have to charge my social battery": Perspectives from autistic young adults on Quality of Life.
Elisabeth Øverland, Åshild Lappegard Hauge, Stian Orm and 4 others
PMID 38629698WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic young adults wanted close connections but needed time alone to recharge their social battery.
They valued family, pets, peers, direct support, routines, sensory-friendly places, and pursuing interests. Generic quality-of-life measures may miss these.
Key findings
01Autistic young adults wanted close connections with family, animals, and peers, but also needed time alone to recover from social exhaustion.
02Participants said teachers and practitioners needed to use direct questions and concrete advice if they wanted to be understood.
03Routines and interests were described as important for daily life and meaning.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study included 14 autistic young adults, so it describes experiences in a small purposive sample, not a population pattern. All participants were in the average range of cognitive ability and had been diagnosed in childhood, so findings may not transfer to other autism subgroups. Women were heavily underrepresented, with only 3 women in the sample. The sample came from Norway, where student financial support, free tuition, and extra years for senior high school may shape education, housing, and future plans. The study did not compare interventions or measure quality of life change, so its themes cannot show that any treatment improves quality of life.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The study received grants from Innlandet Hospital Trust.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that a particular therapy improves quality of life. The study asked 14 autistic young adults to describe their experiences. It did not compare treatments or measure quality of life change.