Exploring Autism Advocacy and Public Engagement on Instagram: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of High-Engagement Posts

Objective: This study investigates how Instagram facilitates autism advocacy and public engagement by analyzing high-engagement posts to assess their influence on discourse, awareness, and perceptions of autism as a form of neurodivergence. Method: Over a 3-month period, 11,832 Instagram posts containing the hashtags #autism, #asd, and #autismspectrumdisorder were collected. After applying filtering procedures, 364 posts with engagement scores exceeding 500 were analyzed using thematic and sentiment analysis. Results: Prominent themes included advocacy, personal narratives, and affirming representations of neurodiversity. Posts authored by autistic individuals received the highest engagement, underscoring the power of lived experience and authentic storytelling. Sentiment analysis revealed a predominance of neutral and positive emotional tones, supporting Instagram's role as a constructive environment for autism-related discourse. Conclusions: Instagram serves as a potent platform for autism advocacy by amplifying neurodivergent voices, encouraging inclusive dialogue, and advancing public understanding. These findings provide actionable insights for advocates, communication professionals, and researchers aiming to leverage social media for awareness, inclusion, and stigma reduction.