Exploring Identity Importance for Autistic Adults and Associations with Disclosure Experiences: A Brief Report

Community brief Why is this an important issue?Autistic identity is when a person feels a connection to others who are autistic, or to the larger autistic community. Disclosure, or sharing being autistic, is a complex decision that can have a significant impact on an autistic person's life. Both disclosure and autistic identity can be linked to the quality of life for many autistic adults. What was the purpose of this study?We wanted to know whether autistic identity and disclosure were connected. We wondered whether people who felt a stronger sense of autistic identity would be more likely to share that they were autistic with other people. We also studied other identities such as religious identity, sexual identity, and gender identity-to see whether they were also connected to a person's autism disclosure decisions. What did the researchers do?We used an online survey to ask 111 autistic adults about their identity and their autism disclosure decisions. The research team that conducted this study included both autistic and nonautistic researchers. What were the results of the study?Autistic participants in our study who felt their autistic identity and sexual identity were highly important also told us they disclosed their autistic identity often to others in their life. Other identities, such as religious identity and ethnic identity, did not seem to relate to a person's autism disclosure in our study. What do these findings add to what was already known?This research is the start of what we know about the connection between the identities of an autistic person and their disclosure decisions. Preliminary research like this study helps to show a reason for more research on this topic to increase knowledge and acceptance. What are potential weaknesses in the study?This study does not cover the experiences of all autistic people, only those who could use technology to complete an online survey. Also, the design of the study only allows us to conclude that disclosure and identity are related, but we cannot yet say whether one influences the other. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future?This research can help to justify additional investigations into this topic and demonstrate the importance of listening to autistic voices to understand their experiences with disclosure and how they may be influenced by their identities. For practitioners such as educators or therapists who work with autistic adults, this research can lead to knowledge that supports mental well-being. Background: A strong autistic identity can help to support mental well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, increase self-esteem, and strengthen a shared community for autistic people. Autistic people are regularly faced with a decision to disclose their autistic identity to others and report a range of experiences after disclosure. The purpose of this brief report was to examine the association between identity and disclosure decisions in a sample of autistic adults to gather preliminary evidence justifying future research. Specifically, we were interested in learning more about how autistic identity is associated with one's approach to disclosure, while also exploring associations with other identities such as ethnic, gender, sexual, and religious identity.*Methods: Participants (N = 111) completed an online questionnaire about their intersecting identities and their approach to disclosure. The research team that conducted this study was composed of both autistic and nonautistic researchers.Results: Results demonstrated that participants who felt their autistic identity and sexual identity were highly important also reported frequent disclosure of being autistic. Religious, gender, and ethnic identity were not associated with one's disclosure decisions or their disclosure outcomes.Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study emphasize the link between autistic and sexual identities and autism disclosure, but more research in this space is needed to better support the wider autism community.