Autistic adults’ preferences and perspectives on current and future Autistic–Autistic relationships

Purpose Autistic adults often have distinct relationship preferences and perspectives compared to non-autistic adults. While research has highlighted the benefits of Autistic–Autistic connections, little quantitative work has examined these preferences across different relationship types. This study addressed this gap by investigating a range of current and desired relationships among Autistic adults in Australia and New Zealand. Method One hundred and fifty-five Autistic adults (aged 18 – 65 + years) completed an online survey regarding their current relationships with other Autistic people, their preferences for new relationships, and their retrospective desires for relationships when younger. Data were analysed in an exploratory nature using a combination of descriptive statistics and regression analyses. Results Most participants had current Autistic–Autistic relationships, particularly friendships, and generally reported high satisfaction within their relationships. However, men reported lower relationship satisfaction compared to other genders, and participants ages 18–24 years old were significantly less satisfied than the 25–30 age group. Almost all participants desired future Autistic connections, especially friendships, mentoring/support, and employment relationships, with preferences for structured, activity-based, or online formats. Many also retrospectively desired Autistic–Autistic friendships or mentoring/support relationships during childhood and adolescence. Conclusions Autistic adults experience and desire a wide range of connections with other Autistic people. These findings challenge deficit-based views and highlight the value of shared-neurotype relationships. Future research should explore diverse relationship types and work collaboratively with Autistic people to support fulfilling connections across the lifespan.