TDNet Discover

The purpose of this qualitative thematic analysis was to explore available support for late diagnosed autistic adults through the exploration of YouTube video content for themes reflecting the experiences of late-diagnosed autistic adults. The theories of critical realism and social constructionism guided the study. While critical realism framed the study as a whole, social constructionism provided a secondary framework to contextualize societal factors influencing the reframing of autistic identity and the co-construction of support communities for autistic adults on social media. A qualitative investigation of video content created specifically to improve the lives of late-diagnosed autistic adults contributed meaningful information to the body of research serving this marginalized population. Video transcripts were purposively collected and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis as a methodological tool. The primary research question was: What are the prominent themes in the videos created by late-diagnosed autistic adults posted on YouTube? The sub-question was: How does the content created by late-diagnosed autistic adults cultivate a supportive virtual community for autistic adults? The findings presented six themes, and thirteen sub-themes, identified by the researcher to reflect the experiences of twelve video content creators and their journeys navigating later-in-life autism diagnosis. These themes revealed overlapping connections between autism diagnosis, misinformation, identity, and support. The co-creation of support communities on YouTube leveraged the strengths and lived experiences of late-diagnosed autistic adults to cultivate understanding, resiliency, self acceptance, and positive identity formation.