Autistic Joy: Learning from Young People

Based on Jess Garner’s MA research: ‘Joy is Everything: Autistic Children & Young People’s Experiences of Joy 

“Joy may be the psychological phenomenon that has some of the most potential for bringing about a greater degree of human flourishing.”¹ 

Many still believe that to be Autistic is to embody tragedy and suffering, an existence in opposition to a ‘good life’, flourishing and joy or at the very least requiring medical model intervention for any real prospect of these.² 

As an Autistic person, Mum and Founder of GROVE with my feet firmly rooted in the neurodiversity paradigm - I wholeheartedly disagree.   

I’m also deeply interested in how these pervasive beliefs shape Autistic people’s self-understanding and how we suffer hermeneutical injustice³ ² - an injustice arising from limitations in accessing knowledge that would aid self-understanding because society’s dominant frameworks and resultant policy and practice lack lived-experience perspective⁴ ³. Considering the theme of my research, this absence can deny people not only the knowledge that joy, flourishing, and a good life are possible, but also understanding of how these might be achieved for themselves. 

Too often research fails to value young people as experts of their own experience⁶. In contrast, this study was grounded in the belief that Autistic young people are competent, credible, and that their perspectives are both valid and valuable.⁷ 

So, what can we learn from them about ‘joy’? 

Uniqueness 

The young people described their experiences of joy as both deeply personal and inherently connected to their Autistic ways of being. Their accounts contained no pathologising interpretations; instead, joy was framed as natural, valid and unique.  Some characterised their experience as more unrestrained or intense compared to allistic experiences. At the same time, some highlighted that these differences are frequently misunderstood or judged, reflecting on a lack of mutual understanding between Autistic and non-Autistic people. They also resisted any attempt to generalise or define a single version of ‘Autistic joy’, emphasising uniqueness within the Autistic community itself. 

Embodiment 

Joy was consistently described as an embodied experience, felt and expressed through the body in ways that were often intense and energetic. Many young people spoke about strong physical sensations such as warmth, lightness, or a feeling of bursting that captured the depth of their experience beyond common emotion labels. These internal sensations were frequently accompanied by expressive physicality such as jumping, flapping or spinning, which were experienced as integral to joy rather than separate from it. However, some young people also described moderating or suppressing these expressions due to past reactions from others or concerns about judgment and safety. While intensity and physicality were common threads, there was also clear variation between individuals, shaped both by personal differences and by strategies developed in response to social expectations. 

Diverse Sources 

The sources of joy described were varied, but strong patterns emerged particularly around the importance of interests, creativity, and connection. Deep engagement with interests was central, often bringing joy through learning, creating, or immersing themselves in whatever they felt deeply passionate about. Sharing these interests with others, especially when met with understanding and reciprocity, was also a significant source of joy, highlighting a relational dimension to these experiences. For some, connection itself, rather than the activity, was the primary source of joy.  

Environments 

The ability to experience and express joy was strongly influenced by environment, particularly the presence or absence of safety, comfort, and acceptance. The young people described feeling most able to experience joy in spaces where they could be themselves without fear of judgement often characterised by understanding relationships and a sense of belonging. Support for their interests and self-acceptance further enabled these experiences, allowing joy to emerge more freely. In contrast, environments marked by a lack of safety, by criticism and misunderstanding limited both the experience and expression of joy. Social expectations, fear of negative reactions, and lack of acceptance often led to self-management and suppression. Across accounts, it was clear that joy is fundamentally shaped by other people. 

To finish... 

In a world where Autistic humanity is routinely overlooked in the pursuit of remedy, cure, and conformity, these young people’s experiences challenge deeply embedded, dehumanising narratives. And crucially, they also remind us that Autistic joy is not a given - not because of perceived deficits - but because of the people around us.  

One participant wished other young people would “not be ashamed of it… I feel like that happens to quite a lot of people. They feel, ashamed of who they are or like what they do.” I suspect many Autistic adults reading this will recognise themselves in these words and wish they had heard this message when they were younger. It’s not too late to start prioritising our own joy, though. Perhaps these young people offer us an invitation to reflect: 

What does ‘joy’ mean to you? 

What brings you joy? 

What gets in the way of it? 

What might you learn from these young people? 

About Jess & GROVE 

Jess is late-realised Autistic ADHD'er, Mum to neurodivergent children, and a former secondary school teacher and middle leader. She founded GROVE, an Autistic-staffed online organisation supporting young people through 1:1 mentoring, interest-based groups and an Autistic identity programme called ‘Being Me’.  Jess holds a Master’s in Autism (distinction). 

GROVE can be found here: https://linktr.ee/gr0ve.org 

References 

1. Johnson, M. K. (2020). Joy: a review of the literature and suggestions for future directions. The Journal of Positive Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1685581 

2. Chapman, R., & Carel, H. (2022). Neurodiversity, EI, and the good human life. Journal of Social Philosophy, 53(4), 614–631. https://doi.org/10.1111/josp.12456 

3. Fricker, M. (2007). Epistemic injustice: Power and the ethics of knowing. Oxford University Press. 

4. Bratu, C., & Haenel, H. (2021). Varieties of Hermeneutical Injustice: A Blueprint. Moral Philosophy and Politics, 8(2), 331–350. https://doi.org/10.1515/mopp-2020-0007 

5. Fargas-Malet, M., McSherry, D., Larkin, E., & Robinson, C. (2010). Research with children: methodological issues and innovative techniques. Journal of Early Childhood Research, 8(2), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476718X09345412 

6. Bateman, A. (2017). Hearing children’s voices through a conversation analysis approach. International Journal of Early Years Education, 25(3), 241–256. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2017.1344624