“I’m not feeling alone in my experiences”: How newly diagnosed autistic adults engage with a neurodiversity-affirming “Welcome Pack”

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

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Edwards, C., Love, A., Cai, R. Y., Heyworth, M., Johnston, A., Aldridge, F., & gibbs, v. (2025). “I’m not feeling alone in my experiences”: How newly diagnosed autistic adults engage with a neurodiversity-affirming “Welcome Pack”. Autism, 29(8), 2072-2083. https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613251335070

Publication date: 25 Apr 2025 Added to AutiHub: 5 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
7
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 7 (28.6%)
  1. Chris Edwards *
  2. Abigail Love
  3. Ru Ying Cai
  4. Melanie Heyworth *
  1. Alexandra Johnston
  2. Fiona Aldridge
  3. vicki gibbs

Abstract

Receiving an autism diagnosis in adulthood can be profoundly transformative, yet many newly diagnosed autistic adults experience a lack of accessible, affirming post-diagnostic support. This study explores how a self-guided, neurodiversity-affirming resource-the "Welcome Pack"-supports newly diagnosed autistic adults in navigating their evolving identity. Using a qualitative approach, we recruited 11 autistic adults without intellectual disability in Australia who had received a diagnosis within the past 6 months. Participants engaged with the "Welcome Pack" over a 2-month period before taking part in semi-structured interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis generated four key themes: (1) a sense of belonging through community and representation, as participants found validation in shared narratives; (2) the "Welcome Pack" as one of many tools supporting their self-understanding; (3) emotional reflections, including both relief and grief over years of masking; and (4) challenges in self-advocacy and educating others. While participants described the "Welcome Pack" as an important and validating resource, they also highlighted the need for additional structured peer support and practical guidance. These findings underscore the value of integrating self-guided resources within broader post-diagnostic ecosystems, ensuring that newly diagnosed autistic adults receive timely, accessible, and neurodiversity-affirming support as they navigate their identity.Lay Abstract.

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 01:00.

Cited references
36
With a DOI
36
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
0
12 / 36 (33.3%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
0 / 36 (0.0%)
References with detected author names
36 / 36 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
0
Without a stable identifier
0
References with raw author names still to review
0
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
182
From DOI or external metadata
182
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
118 / 182 (64.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 64 / 182 (35.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
16 / 182 (8.8%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 16 / 118 (13.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 11 / 135 (8.1%).
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