Not Just Impressions
In short
This text argues that autistic identity should be part of psychological intervention. Social skills and self-regulation remain important, but they are not enough. Research shows that a positive autistic identity, integrated and chosen by the person, is linked to better mental health. The text gives practical suggestions for therapy.
Many autistic people seek psychological support at different stages of life. They often do so because some of their characteristics, in contact with an environment that is still poorly prepared and poorly adapted to their needs, cause distress, fatigue and discomfort.
For this reason, many therapeutic goals focus on gaining social and functional skills, learning to self-regulate and communicating in ways better suited to one's own needs. These are fundamental aspects and should continue to be worked on.
There is, however, a dimension that runs through all these goals and is not always made explicit: identity. Every skill that is learned, every regulation strategy that is practised, happens within a person who is building an idea of who they are. This text argues that working on autistic identity is not an optional add-on to intervention, but part of its core.
Behaviours that happen within an identity
A characteristic is never experienced in the abstract. The need for predictability, sensory sensitivity, intense interests or a more direct communication style take on meaning depending on how the person interprets them: as a defect to be corrected, as something neutral, or as a legitimate part of who they are.
This meaning has clinical consequences. A person who learns social strategies from the conviction that "there is something wrong with me" tends to use them to hide. The same strategy, learned from "I function differently and I can choose how I adapt", tends to be used with more freedom and less exhaustion.
This is where camouflaging comes in (masking). Many autistic people, especially those diagnosed late, have spent years imitating and suppressing traits to match what was expected. When intervention focuses only on skills, it risks reinforcing camouflaging instead of building a more stable and authentic sense of self.
What autistic identity is: perspectives and evidence
Autistic identity is the way a person integrates being autistic into their sense of self: what it means to them, how much weight it carries, and how they relate to other autistic people. There is no single reading of this concept, and it is worth knowing the main ones.
Clinical and diagnostic perspective. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is described as a neurodevelopmental condition with defined criteria. In this reading, the diagnosis is above all an explanation and a gateway to support. The risk, when it is the only lens, is that the person sees themselves only through deficits.
Neurodiversity and social model perspective. Being autistic is understood as a natural variation in human functioning, and part of the difficulties result from the mismatch between the person and the environment. In this reading, being autistic can be experienced as a group identity, comparable to other minority identities. The usual criticism is that it may underestimate significant support needs.
Integrative perspective. Recent studies stress that being autistic is important for many people, but it is not all that defines them. Interventions should help each person understand what being autistic means to them and how it fits with the rest of their identity.
The evidence points in a consistent direction. A systematic review concluded that a positive autistic identity is associated with better mental health and wellbeing, and that it develops mainly when there is external acceptance and support. In autistic young people, greater satisfaction with their identity and solidarity with other autistic people are associated with better wellbeing and less social anxiety.
There is also an important counterpoint. In adolescents, feeling "swallowed" by the diagnosis was associated with less autonomy, less participation and poorer quality of life. Autistic identity is protective when it is integrated and chosen, not when it becomes a label that takes up all the space.
Beyond the diagnosis: understanding, accepting, celebrating
The diagnosis is often the starting point. For those diagnosed in adulthood, it frequently brings relief and a rereading of one's own story, but also grief, doubt and confusion. Studies with late-diagnosed adults describe the construction of autistic identity as a process in stages, supported by social, professional, media and peer support.
Understanding the diagnosis means knowing what ASD is and how it shows up in oneself. Accepting it means no longer fighting one's own way of functioning as if it were a mistake. Celebrating one's own way of being means recognising strengths, interests, values and ways of being that are part of who one is.
These three movements are important, but none of them completes the process. Not everyone wants to experience autism as a source of pride, and that is also legitimate. For some, the diagnosis is central; for others, it is one fact among many. The clinical task is not to lead the person to a "correct" identity, but to accompany them as they reach their own.
Agency in building identity: implications for clinical practice
The central point is this: the autistic person should be the author, and not merely the recipient, of their identity. Having agency means being able to reflect on what being autistic means to them, decide what place it has in their life and choose how, when and to whom they disclose it.
Research shows that this agency exists and is protective. Autistic young people and adults exposed to stigmatising messages at school resisted by redefining their identity, valuing their strengths and actively choosing when to disclose their diagnosis. Intervention can create the conditions for this to happen intentionally.
In practice, this can mean:
Making identity an explicit topic in therapy, from the assessment onwards. Asking what the diagnosis means to the person, and not only what difficulties it brings.
Linking each functional goal to the sense of self. When training a social skill, exploring whether the person wants it to protect themselves, to get closer to others or to meet other people's expectations.
Distinguishing adaptation from camouflaging. Helping the person choose which adjustments to make and when, weighing the energy cost of each one.
Working on internalised stigma. Identifying beliefs such as "I am defective" or "I have to look normal" and rebuilding them based on the person's real experience.
Making room for community. Contact with other autistic people, in groups or with peers, is one of the factors most strongly associated with a positive identity.
Respecting the person's pace and direction. Identity changes throughout life; the process has no fixed end point and no mandatory version.
A therapy that does this does not abandon the goals of skills, regulation and communication. It integrates them into a process in which the person knows what they are for and decides how they want to use them.
Conclusion
Social skills, self-regulation and communication remain essential therapeutic goals. But they gain a wider reach when they are worked on within a process in which the autistic person understands, accepts, can celebrate and, above all, actively builds their identity.
An integrated and chosen autistic identity is associated with better mental health and wellbeing. Accompanying the person in this process, respecting the unique way each one defines themselves, is one of the most lasting contributions that psychological intervention can offer.
Comments