“No Way Out Except From External Intervention”: First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia

Buckle, K. L., Leadbitter, K., Poliakoff, E., & Gowen, E. (2021). “No Way Out Except From External Intervention”: First-Hand Accounts of Autistic Inertia. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 631596-631596. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.631596

Publication date: 13 Jul 2021 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

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Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)

Abstract

This study, called for by autistic people and led by an autistic researcher, is the first to explore 'autistic inertia,' a widespread and often debilitating difficulty acting on their intentions. Previous research has considered initiation only in the context of social interaction or experimental conditions. This study is unique in considering difficulty initiating tasks of any type in real life settings, and by gathering qualitative data directly from autistic people. Four face-to-face and 2 online (text) focus groups were conducted with 32 autistic adults (19 female, 8 male, and 5 other), aged 23-64 who were able to express their internal experiences in words. They articulate in detail the actions they have difficulty with, what makes it easier or harder to act, and the impact on their lives. Thematic analysis of the transcripts found four overarching themes: descriptions of inertia, scaffolding to support action, the influence of wellbeing, and the impact on day-to-day activities. Participants described difficulty starting, stopping and changing activities that was not within their conscious control. While difficulty with planning was common, a subset of participants described a profound impairment in initiating even simple actions more suggestive of a movement disorder. Prompting and compatible activity in the environment promoted action, while mental health difficulties and stress exacerbated difficulties. Inertia had pervasive effects on participants' day-to-day activities and wellbeing. This overdue research opens the door to many areas of further investigation to better understand autistic inertia and effective support strategies.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:30.

Cited references
66
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
4 / 66 (6.1%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
6 / 189 (3.2%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 6 / 38 (15.8%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 6 / 169 (3.6%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
38 / 189 (20.1%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 32 / 169 (18.9%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
32 / 38 (84.2%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 32 / 189 (16.9%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 26 / 32 (81.2%).
2 cited bibliography entries could not be fully enriched from DOI metadata.
Crossref: not found (1) · DataCite: not found (1)
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