Navigating Financial Lives: How Autistic Adults Adapt Financial Technologies, Tools and Strategies

Neurodiversity and autism research look at the ways in which neurological differences shape people’s lives. Money and finances touch almost all aspects of life in some way, yet there is very little research at the intersection of money and autism. This paper is the first to explore how autistic adults navigate their financial lives by using, adapting, and re-inventing financial technologies and strategies. Drawing on 20 interviews with autistic participants that included a visual mapping activity, the study identifies areas that characterise financial management activities of autistic adults, such as sensory and cognitive overload, executive functioning, and autistic joy. It further explores the technologies and strategies employed by participants and how they make these fit their needs. Using the theoretical framing of neuroqueer technoscience, the study aimed to highlight individual solutions and adaptations that the autistic participants developed, therefore treating them as knowers and makers of financial technologies. This study reveals design tensions that should be considered when creating financial technologies.