“I’m kind of stuck in the middle. I don’t know where to go”: Race, Autism, and Intersectional Stigma Among Black and White Autistic Adults

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Jones, D. R., Botha, M., & Sasson, N. (2025). “I’m kind of stuck in the middle. I don’t know where to go”: Race, Autism, and Intersectional Stigma Among Black and White Autistic Adults [Preprint]. Center for Open Science. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/hnkxy_v2

Publication date: 6 Sep 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Preprint Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Desiree R Jones
  2. Monique Botha *
  3. Noah Sasson

Abstract

AbstractBackground: Autistic adults frequently experience social stigma, which may be compounded by additional marginalized identities such as race, gender, and sexual orientation. Black autistic adults, in particular, may face unique challenges at the intersection of racial bias and autism stigma. However, the experiences of autistic people with intersecting marginalized identities remain underexplored in research, contributing to a limited understanding of stigma’s impact across diverse communities.Methods: The current study sought to better characterize the social experiences of autistic people with intersecting identities, with an emphasis on Black autistic adults. 32 autistic adults (16 Black, 16 White) completed a semi-structured interview regarding their social experiences. Participants shared recent stories of peer exclusion, acceptance, discrimination and support that they had experienced, as well as their feelings surrounding these events. We recorded and transcribed these interviews and used an inductive, or data-driven, approach to thematic analysis to identify salient themes in the data. Results: We generated three intersectional themes, which encompassed the unique impact of stigma on those with intersecting identities. Specifically, these themes included: 1) identity-based discrimination shaped by race, gender, and LGBTQ+ status; (2) challenges in obtaining and processing an autism diagnosis; and (3) difficulties navigating personal identity, particularly among Black autistic participants. While autistic adults broadly reported stigma experiences, Black participants often described layered forms of exclusion related to both their race and autistic traits. Women and LGBTQ+ participants also reported distinct forms of marginalization and erasure. Conclusion: These findings highlight how autism stigma intersects with other marginalized identities to shape social experiences. Black autistic adults, along with autistic women and LGBTQ+ autistic people, may encounter compounded barriers to acceptance, identity development, and belonging. These results underscore the need for more inclusive research and supports that attend to the diversity of autistic experiences.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 01:39.

Cited references
42
With a DOI
42
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
0
9 / 42 (21.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
2 / 42 (4.8%)
References with detected author names
40 / 42 (95.2%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
0
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
145
From DOI or external metadata
145
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
84 / 145 (57.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 61 / 145 (42.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
10 / 145 (6.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 10 / 84 (11.9%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 8 / 120 (6.7%).
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