The Transactional Nature of Autistic Young Adults’ Sensory and Social Experiences: Negotiating Young Adulthood

Background: Sensory processing differences are common in autistic individuals across the lifespan, yet little research has focused on autistic individuals’ sensory experiences during young adulthood. Young adulthood is a time when autistic young people take on new or increasing responsibility while adapting to new environments and contexts, which may present unique sensory challenges. Methods: Fourteen autistic young adults (AYAs; aged 20–26) participated in semi-structured interviews about their sensory experiences in daily life contexts and activities, including work and school, home, self-care, social, community, and leisure. We analyzed the data using thematic analysis. Results: Sensory and social experiences in AYAs were inextricably linked in a transactional, co-constituted relationship in which sensory experiences shaped social experiences and social experiences shaped sensory experiences. AYAs described ongoing processes of negotiating (i.e., balancing) their sensory and social experiences to manage the developmental tasks of young adulthood: developing autonomy, self-identity, and important relationships. These negotiations involved young adults establishing their sensory boundaries with other people, evaluating trade-offs between sensory experiences and social participation, developing sensory self-understanding through social influences such as parents or therapists or comparisons of their sensory experiences with others, and masking sensory responses because of neuronormative societal expectations that value neurotypical behavior. Conclusions: Social experiences play an integral, complex role in the sensory experiences of AYAs. The findings underscore the need to broaden understandings of sensory experiences for autistic individuals, considering both the physical environment and the social context. AYAs’ negotiations of sensory and social experiences aligned with the developmental tasks of young adulthood, highlighting the importance of understanding sensory experiences across the life course. Developing supports that empower AYAs to navigate and negotiate these social and sensory experiences and fostering social environments that are accepting of AYAs’ sensory needs are essential to promote well-being in this population.