Supporting a ‘good life’ for autistic children: Autistic adults’ and parents’ perspectives

Kate Simpson; Connie Allen; Elizabeth Wheeley; Elizabeth Pellicano; Melanie Heyworth; Jacquiline den Houting; Rachael Bowen; Dawn Adams

doi:10.1177/13623613261418945

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Supporting a ‘good life’ for autistic children: Autistic adults’ and parents’ perspectives

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Supporting a ‘good life’ for autistic children: Autistic adults’ and parents’ perspectives

Kate Simpson, Connie Allen, Elizabeth Wheeley, Elizabeth Pellicano, Melanie Heyworth, Jacquiline den Houting, Rachael Bowen and Dawn Adams

Autism, Vol.30(4), pp.972-982

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613261418945

PMID: 41709437

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Abstract

autism

children

qualitative research

quality of life

wellbeing

There has been limited research into what helps to promote autistic children’s quality of life. This qualitative study, co-produced with autistic people, aimed to identify, from multiple perspectives, what helps autistic children to live a ‘good life’. We conducted semi-structured interviews with autistic adults (n = 28) and parents of autistic children (n = 29). Using reflexive thematic analysis, we identified four themes: Being accepted by others in a way that allows the child to be themselves; Finding ‘the things that light [the child]’; Having a sense of control over their own life and Physical/sensory environments matter. All themes were common to both autistic adults and parents of autistic children, with the exception of one sub-theme, which was predominantly driven by autistic adults’ responses. These findings highlight potential pathways to support autistic children’s quality of life now and into the future.

Details

Title: Supporting a ‘good life’ for autistic children: Autistic adults’ and parents’ perspectives
Authors: Kate Simpson (Corresponding Author) - Griffith University
Connie Allen - Griffith University
Elizabeth Wheeley - Griffith University
Elizabeth Pellicano - Macquarie University
Melanie Heyworth - Macquarie University
Jacquiline den Houting - Macquarie University
Rachael Bowen - Giant Steps (Australia)
Dawn Adams - Griffith University
Publication details: Autism, Vol.30(4), pp.972-982
Publisher: Sage Publications Ltd.
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1177/13623613261418945
ISSN: 1461-7005
PMID: 41709437
Copyright note: © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits any use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
Grant note: Research reported in this publication was supported by the Medical Research Future Fund under grant number 2022/MRF2016147.
Organisation Unit: School of Education and Tertiary Access
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991228430402621
Output Type: Journal article

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