Involvement of Autistic Adults in Recreational Activities.
Most autistic adults join fun activities if the place is quiet, cheap, and they can bring a trusted person.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Préfontaine et al. (2026) asked 316 autistic adults what they do for fun.
They used an online survey. People could pick more than one answer.
The team wanted to know what helps or stops adults from joining sports, clubs, or hobbies.
What they found
Almost everyone does at least one fun activity with family.
Twelve percent said they almost never do any.
Big crowds, high cost, and few choices were the main blocks.
Going with someone they trust and picking quiet places made joining easier.
How this fits with other research
Allen et al. (2009) talked to autistic adults about music. They found music is used to calm, focus, and connect, just like neurotypical people do. Isabelle’s numbers show music is only one of many leisure paths adults take.
Lai et al. (2012) surveyed parents of autistic children and saw the same three barriers: behavior, cost, and lack of services. The same walls follow people into adulthood.
Logos et al. (2025) showed that social settings like police interviews feel harsh to autistic adults. Isabelle’s data echo this: crowds turn people away from recreation, not from the activity itself.
Why it matters
You can open doors by cutting noise, price, and group size. Offer buddy passes, off-peak hours, or small club formats. When you write goals, target the setting first, then the skill. A calm, cheap, accompanied option beats a free loud festival every time.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: Participation in recreational activities (RA) has a positive impact on quality of life. The involvement of autistic adults in RA has rarely been documented. This study aimed to describe the RA involvement of autistic adults with and without intellectual disability (ID), and identify potential facilitators and barriers to their participation. METHODS: We conducted a wide-ranging online survey of autistic people aged 16 years and over living in Québec, Canada. This study focused on the questions concerning RA. We recruited participants through social media and community partners. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 316 participants. The most frequent activities engaged in were cultural outings, city walks, and nature walks. About 40% of participants frequently engaged in at least three different activities. About 12% did not engage in any frequent activity. Nearly 95% of participants reported participating in at least one activity with others, with family members identified most often as partners. For all participants, involvement in RA was facilitated by interest in the activity, a comfortable environment, and being accompanied by a friend or family member. Conversely, presence of a crowd, high cost of activities, and limited availability of RA restricted respondents' participation. CONCLUSIONS: RA of autistic adults are diverse in terms of number and type of activities engaged in. Family members play a crucial role in the respondents' RA involvement. Parent proxy identified barriers stemming mainly from the environment. Barriers identified by self-respondents came from the interaction of autistic traits with the environment.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026 · doi:10.1007/s00125-012-2677-z