From feeling different to becoming collective: the process of acquiring an autistic identity

Acquiring an autistic identity—a complex process—combines the recognition of personal differences with belonging to the autistic community. Social stigma forces many autistic individuals, particularly women, to hide their characteristics through masking strategies, reinforced by negative narratives in both research and the media. Receiving a late diagnosis is liberating, as it facilitates self-acceptance; it is also challenging due to the persistence of internalized behaviors and the lack of support networks promoting a positive identity. Thirty-two Spanish women, aged 18 to 56, all with a late diagnosis, responded to a series of open-ended questions, respecting their preferred mode of communication. Following Reflexive Thematic Analysis model we constructed three main themes: (1) “I’ve always felt this way, different”; (2) “I want to know who I really am, to find my true self”; (3) “I am autistic… Making it public. Making it collective”. These themes reflect the process from self-exploration to forming a positive identity. Our findings underscore how receiving a late diagnosis encourages autistic women to challenge stigmas, embracing their identity as a political act aimed at breaking ableist narratives and claiming spaces of sisterhood. A gender perspective in research is important for understanding and making these experiences visible, while highlighting the broader sociocultural context that shapes identity formation.