‘At the End of the Day, It’s Love’: An Exploration of Relationships in Neurodiverse Couples
2021 (English) In: Journal of autism and developmental disorders, ISSN 0162-3257, E-ISSN 1573-3432, Vol. 51, p. 3311-3321Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Most autistic people report challenges in initiating and developing intimate, long-term relationships. We used a phenomenological approach to interview thirteen people who were in a neurodiverse intimate relationship (where one partner had a diagnosis of autism) in order to explore the challenges and facilitators both neurotypical and autistic partners experienced. Analysis revealed that ND relationships progressed along similar pathways as non-ND relationships. Facilitators included the strength-based roles that each partner took on and the genuine support and care for each other. Challenges were reported in communication, difficulties reading and interpreting emotions, and idiosyncratic characteristics of the autistic partner. Strategies that both partners used to cope with these challenges and their perspectives of relationship-support services are also presented.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Springer, 2021. Vol. 51, p. 3311-3321
Keywords [en]
Autism, Intimate relationships, Neurotypical, Partners, Relationships, Support services
National Category
Neurosciences
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:hj:diva-51112 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04790-z ISI: 000591123100002 PubMedID: 33216278 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85096379762 Local ID: ;intsam;1505984 OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hj-51112 DiVA, id: diva2:1505984
2020-12-022020-12-022021-12-13 Bibliographically approved