Diversity in Autistic Play: Autistic Adults' Experiences

Play is important for mental health and well-being. Descriptions of autistic play have typically focused on "deficits" and are based on comparisons to neurotypical "norms". According to the neurodiversity paradigm, it is important that autistic voices are highlighted and that difficulties, differences, and strengths are explored. With this in mind, we designed the present study to focus on the experiences and perspectives of autistic people concerning the topic of autistic play.

We conducted a consultation with autistic stakeholders, as well as with parents and teachers of autistic individuals to help us design the study and interview questions. We used semi-structured interviews with 22 autistic adults aged 18-57 years (clinically confirmed diagnosis, n = 21; self-diagnosed, n = 1) who live in the United Kingdom. We analyzed the data using interpretative phenomenological analysis to identify themes.

We found important commonalities and differences in the ways that socialization in play, imaginary play, and flow (a state involving intense focus on the play) are experienced. Autistic adults discussed the importance of both solitary play and social play, with solitary play having an important recuperative function. They also reported preferences for parallel play and playing with similar autistic people. They also discussed imaginary play experiences, including social role-play and grounded-in-reality play, and the dual nature of flow experiences during play.

The findings of this study contrast with deficit-focused understandings of autistic play and build on neurodiversity-informed studies. We highlight, for example, the importance of considering the different circumstances under which solitary play or social play are preferred, as well as the importance of taking an individual approach to play. We encourage wider understanding and acceptance of these play preferences and experiences to support autistic people's well-being.