Exploring and Navigating Autistic Identity in Adolescence: A Scoping Review and Environmental Scan of Experiences and Support Resources
Deal, A., Magiati, I., Tan, D. W., Crane, L., Edwards, C., Adams, D., Arnold, S. R. C., Han, E., Hearst, C., Price, J., Heyworth, M., Johnston, A., & Mandy, W. (2026). Exploring and Navigating Autistic Identity in Adolescence: A Scoping Review and Environmental Scan of Experiences and Support Resources [Registration]. OSF Registries. https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/52qhf
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Abstract
Autistic adolescents have a complex journey of navigating and understanding being autistic during this formative developmental period, influenced by numerous co-occurring changes, life events and transitions relating to biological and hormonal changes, increased social expectations, self-autonomy, demands and need for peer acceptance and belonging, as well as development of a sense of self and identity (Davies et al., 2024; Fotheringham et al., 2023). In comparison to non-autistic peers, autistic adolescents are known to be at significantly higher risk of developing mental health conditions (Cresswell & Cage, 2019), face greater challenges in establishing and maintaining social connections (largely due to high experiences of discrimination, exclusion bullying and other distressing psychosocial experiences), and are more vulnerable to forming a negative self- and autistic- identity (Cresswell & Cage, 2019; Gies et al., 2025). Despite this knowledge, research clarifying the experiences of, and supports available for, adolescents navigating being autistic remains under-investigated and crucial to explore. This scoping review will be a critical first step for advancing research on understanding, developing, evaluating and disseminating helpful and accessible supports/ resources for autistic adolescents. The objectives of this scoping review are to: (1) identify and integrate the empirical literature to date investigating experiences of autistic adolescents navigating being autistic; and (2) scope existing support resources and/or programs available for autistic adolescents navigating their autistic identity and/or autism diagnosis through a review of the empirical literature and an environmental scan; specifically, we hope to scope (a) the aims, characteristics, features and components of these programmes/resources (b) if and how they have been evaluated, and (c) their acceptability, feasibility, efficacy/effectiveness and reported outcomes, if available.
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