Exploring stories of autistic adolescents

Narrative identity proposes that personal narratives are formed over time with the telling and re-telling of stories. The aim of this review was to explore the stories of identity development in autistic adolescents by synthesising the relevant qualitative literature. A systematic literature search and meta-ethnographic synthesis of 15 qualitative studies was conducted. Seven third-order constructs were developed from 25 underlying second-order constructs identified within the research. These were, meaning-making - my autistic identity; personal processes; self in time; meaning making - stories of those around me; social connection and relationships; navigating autism in a ‘neurotypical’ world; and societal narratives. The findings indicate how autistic adolescents develop and co-construct their identity through their stories of themselves and the stories of those around them and wider society. The review proposes a framework for future identity research.