New research on autistic well-being with a focus on health and quality of life
2024-11-21A good life for autistic people and improved societal support interventions. This is the ambition of a new research project at Karlstad University where the researchers will investigate how people with autism can be supported to achieve well-being and flourish throughout life.
In the four-year project, researchers will develop the concept of well-being from an autistic perspective (autistic flourishing), investigate interventions that support autistic well-being, as well as co-creating guidelines to promote health and quality of life for autistic people.
The objective is to create a new framework for what autistic well-being means based on autistic people’s own experiences and perspectives. The research is conducted in collaboration with both autistic people and professional support providers.
"Our hope is that the project will lead to more inclusive and effective support interventions that are based on the unique strengths and challenges of autistic individuals," says project leader Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist, senior lecturer in social work at Karlstad University and professor of social work at Södertörn University.
The project challenges traditional healthcare models and proposes a paradigm shift towards health-promoting strategies.
"People’s brains work differently, and this neurological diversity presents both strengths and challenges depending on life circumstances," says Hanna Bertilsdotter-Rosqvist. "Support interventions for autistic people often focus on challenges in social interaction and communication, but it is also common with mental and physical illness among autistic people. Traditional healthcare models are not always well-suited for autistic people, as the goal is not to “cure autism”. It can result in a one-sided focus on symptoms rather than promoting quality of life and well-being."
The project “Ett gott autistiskt liv och samhälleliga stödinsatser” has been granted SEK 6.6 million in funding by the Swedish Research Council and begins in January 2025, in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet.