The diagnostic journey of autistic women as shared on TikTok

TikTok serves as a social media platform for fostering social empowerment and facilitating community discussions. Recent research indicates that autistic adults use TikTok to share insights into their diagnoses. Adding to this line of inquiry, the current study examines the diagnostic journey of autistic women as shared on TikTok. Personal narratives of autistic women regarding their diagnostic experiences as shared on TikTok were identified and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2021) to inductively identify shared themes. Data related to theme I (i.e., “I have spent my whole life trying to fix myself”), II (i.e., “No one realized I was struggling”), and III (i.e., “This isn’t how it should be”) was consistent with other research examining the experiences of autistic women in their diagnostic journey. Theme IV (i.e., “You know yourself better than anyone”) provided unique findings with regard to the TikTok community. Specifically, content creators used TikTok as a platform for communal discourse and social empowerment. They provided and sought reciprocal support and direction. Autistic women are turning to TikTok to share experiences and express perspectives. The data informs professionals on how to support women in their journey toward understanding themselves within an autistic identity. • TikTok plays a role in fostering a supportive community for autistic women. • TikTok helps users express and affirm their autistic identities. • Individualized approaches to diagnosis and care of autistic women are needed.