Table 9.

Example quotes in most frequently reported categories, alongside n for these categories

Category	Sub-category	n	Example quote(s)
Negative acceptance experiences	Misunderstandings and misconceptions	29	“People don’t seem to understand that autism affects every single aspect of who I am as a person, and telling me there should be a cure is telling me I shouldn’t exist... I can’t feel accepted by society until society understands that autistic people sometimes need support, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but there is something very wrong with wanting to change an autistic person into someone else entirely.” “Because my responses are slightly different from neurotypical people I am sometimes regarded as mentally ill when I am not. I find this very frustrating.”
	From society	13	“Generally I don’t think society accepts the traits that often go hand in hand with autism though and I therefore am also very pessimistic about the integration of people with autism into society.”
	From specific organisations (e.g. workplace, educational settings, etc.)	11	“Since being diagnosed I have found that, other than specific autism support services, mention of autism is met blankly or dismissed, even by those who have remarked on my oddity. I have told my employers, and they acknowledge what I have told them but don’t really understand what it means to me.”
Consequences of acceptance/non-acceptance	Experiences of camouflaging/masking	27	“I do not exhibit symptoms much or am able to mask/hide them almost completely” “I have to invest a lot of energy into “passing” as neurotypical” “I feel that I have spent the majority of my life engaged in the search for acceptance and therefore I can fake neurotypical behaviour pretty well.” “I mask well so I am accepted but not as an autistic person.”
	Mental health	8	“[Masking] is incredibly exhausting and stressful and has ultimately led to mental and physical health problems.” “As the years pass I suffer increasing anxiety for lack of even casual acceptance by my species and, conversely, huge spikes of anxiety when someone actually does ‘see’ me. Invisibility has become my comfort zone as well as my prison.”
	Difficulties with social interactions	8	“After a lifetime of observing people, trying to work out why I am different and so isolated, it seems to me that my lack of comprehension of non-verbal communication limits my interaction with NTs looking for expected responses and results in them looking past me.”