The utility of multi-informant approaches when working with autistic adults

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Ward, O. F., Tomeny, T. S., Pliskin, A., & Crehan, E. T. (2026). The utility of multi-informant approaches when working with autistic adults. Advances in Autism, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1108/aia-07-2025-0068

Publication date: 1 Jun 2026 Added to AutiHub: 26 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

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

Abstract

Purpose With a growing focus on autism in adulthood, reexamining how and from whom information is collected is critical to ensure autistic adults receive adequate and appropriate care across the lifespan. Accessibility to autism assessments, services for co-occurring mental health conditions, and identifying service needs in adulthood is challenging. Mental health outcomes for autistic adults remain relatively poor compared to nonautistic peers. Increased incorporation of autistic self-report will ensure researchers and clinicians capture the profiles, concerns and needs of autistic individuals from their perspective. However, reliance on a single reporter, regardless of diagnosis or condition, comes with limitations. Using multi-informant approaches provides additional information through examining convergence and discrepancy between informants. Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint paper aims to consider the use of multi-informant approaches, as they pertain to autistic adults through a neurodiversity-affirming framework from the perspective of researchers, clinicians, family members of autistic adults, and autistic self-advocates. Drawing on discrepancy research, adult diagnostic guidelines and clinical expertise, the authors outline considerations for informant selection, contextual interpretation, and ethical management of discrepant reports. Findings The authors highlight adult-specific challenges in applying multi-informant models, including autonomy, masking, relational dynamics, recall limitations, and post-diagnostic disagreement and provide recommendations for selecting informants, interpreting divergence, and communicating assessment decisions transparently. Originality/value Whereas existing guidelines recommend collateral information in adult autism assessment, limited guidance exists on how to systematically interpret discrepancies or manage informant-related complexities in adulthood. This paper extends current guidance by offering perspectives and recommendations for ethically and contextually integrating multi-informant data when working with autistic adults.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

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 11:55.

Cited references
68
With a DOI
60
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
8
6 / 68 (8.8%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
3 / 68 (4.4%)
References with detected author names
65 / 68 (95.6%)
Without detected author names
3
Without a structured title
3
Without a stable identifier
8
References with raw author names still to review
3
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
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
242
From DOI or external metadata
242
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
3
70 / 242 (28.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 172 / 242 (71.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
7 / 242 (2.9%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 7 / 70 (10.0%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 7 / 217 (3.2%).
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