"I'm Trying to Reach Out, I'm Trying to Find My People": A Mixed-Methods Investigation of the Link Between Sensory Differences, Loneliness, and Mental Health in Autistic and Nonautistic Adults.

Study A used baseline data from a trial and had no separate sample size calculation or preregistration. The sample was not representative of all autistic adults because people with moderate to severe intellectual impairment were excluded, and most participants used spoken language and could travel. Study A also excluded people with past head injury, organic brain disorders, epilepsy, or psychotic experiences. Nonautistic controls were not screened for autism, although excluding those above the Autism Quotient cutoff did not change results. Ethnicity was not recorded, and most participants were reported as Caucasian or British; all Study B participants were White. Study A relied on self-report questionnaires, so some associations may be inflated by the measurement method. The added distress question on the UCLA Loneliness Scale was not formally validated. The sensory questionnaire measured affective reactivity rather than sensory seeking or avoidance directly. Study B had only eight core participants plus a ninth familiar partner and used conversations collected for a different linguistic study. The paper reports associations and experiences, not tested interventions.

No funding or conflict of interest statement is included in the supplied text. Study A was conducted with the sponsorship of Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

Do not conclude that autistic adults are content with chosen solitude or lack social motivation. Loneliness and distress were linked similarly in autistic and nonautistic adults, and qualitative accounts described yearning for connection.