Disclosing an autism diagnosis: A social identity approach.
Fostering collective autistic identity increases the chance clients will disclose and gain support.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Togher et al. (2023) asked autistic adults when and why they tell others about their diagnosis.
They used an online survey. People answered questions about identity, stigma, and disclosure in social, school, work, and family settings.
What they found
Disclosure was not random. Adults who felt strong ties to the autistic community and used identity-first language were more willing to share their diagnosis.
Feeling stigma made them less likely to disclose. Using planned strategies, like picking the right moment, made them more likely.
How this fits with other research
Rum et al. (2025) ran an experiment and found that listeners became more empathetic and willing to work with an autistic person after the person disclosed. Katie’s survey shows what makes autistic adults take that helpful step.
LeBlanc et al. (2003) looked at parents receiving their child’s diagnosis. They wanted kind clinicians and clear handouts. Katie flips the lens to the autistic adult doing the telling, not the professional.
Bransgrove et al. (2025) interviewed late-diagnosed adults who built identity through peer, media, and formal supports. Katie’s numbers back the idea: stronger autistic identity predicts more disclosure.
Why it matters
You can boost disclosure by nurturing autistic pride. Use identity-first language unless the client objects. Offer peer groups and role-play scripts for safe disclosure moments. When clients feel less stigma and more collective identity, they are more likely to access needed supports.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Autistic people face a difficult dilemma around whether or not to disclose their diagnosis because autistic people are a stigmatized social group. The central aim of this study was to examine if a social identity approach could be useful in understanding the factors that predict the likelihood of autistic adults disclosing their autism diagnosis in social settings, in the workplace, in educational settings and in the family. The social identity approach predicts that autistic people may cope with this dilemma by using an individualistic strategy to distance themselves from their autistic social identity. Alternatively, they may embrace their autistic social identity and use a collective strategy to resist stigma and advocate for autistic people. We present a survey based cross-sectional study (n = 175) with autistic adults living in Ireland. Participants completed a series of measures; autism social identification, stigma consciousness, and individualistic and collective strategy use to assess disclosing in the four settings. The overall models in each of the four regressions were significant. Autism social identification positively predicted disclosure in social, workplace and educational settings, while stigma consciousness negatively predicted disclosure in the family and in the workplace. Interestingly, over and above these predictors individualistic strategy use negatively predicted disclosure in each of the four settings, while collective strategy use positively predicted disclosure in social, educational and family settings. Our novel social identity approach was useful for explaining autistic adults' strategies to cope with the complex disclosure dilemma. Strengths, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023 · doi:10.1002/aur.2990