UC Santa Barbara

Background: Strengths-based narratives of autism often presume that autistic individuals’ expertise will naturally translate into better outcomes for the teams they work with. However, such perspectives overlook the fundamentally relational nature of collaborative work, in which teams infer, evaluate, and recognize members’ knowledge and abilities through social interaction. When autistic communication and cognitive styles diverge from neurotypical teamwork norms, autistic individuals’ expertise may remain unrecognized in team contexts. Methods: Our data consist of semi-structured interviews with 35 autistic adults from a larger study and two newly collected serial focus groups with five additional autistic adults, all of whom had experience with team-based collaboration in academic or workplace settings. Using phronetic iterative qualitative data analysis, we identified recurring patterns in participants’ lived experiences of teamwork. Results: We identified three predominant structural barriers that limit autistic people’s access to and participation in teamwork: (a) Autonomy , reflecting a preference for independent work often arising from mismatches with dominant collaborative norms; (b) anxiety , shaped by lifelong experiences of stigma and neuronormative social expectations that constrain knowledge sharing; and (c) attention , referring to the cognitive, social, and sensory demands of teamwork that limit sustained engagement. Together, these barriers can operate incrementally, filtering out autistic individuals’ contributions before teams integrate them into their collective knowledge. Conclusion: These findings reframe autistic individuals’ challenges in neurodiverse teamwork as structural rather than individual. By highlighting how neuronormative team environments constrain the visibility of autistic expertise, this study contributes to autism and organizational research as well as team cognition theory. The findings also suggest the need for structural changes in team environments that normalize diverse communication styles, work preferences, and approaches to collaboration to foster more neuroinclusive teamwork. Community Brief Why is this an important issue? Many organizations and universities say they value the strengths autistic individuals bring. But autistic individuals still face barriers when working in teams—barriers that limit how much they can participate and whether their contributions get noticed. What was the purpose of this study? We wanted to understand teamwork from autistic individuals’ lived experiences, focusing on what makes it difficult for them to fully contribute their knowledge and have it recognized by teammates. What did the researchers do? We analyzed interviews from a larger study involving 35 autistic adults with teamwork experience and combined these insights with newly collected focus group data from five autistic adults. Across two focus group sessions held 2 weeks apart, participants completed hands-on activities to reflect on positive and challenging experiences working in teams. What were the results and conclusions of the study? We found three barriers that can make it harder for autistic people to participate fully and have their contributions noticed in teams. First, many participants wanted autonomy , or more control over how and when they completed their work, which would create an initial hurdle to engaging in teamwork. Second, anxiety around change (e.g., new members) and being misunderstood often led participants to hold back ideas or participate less. Third, fast-moving team environments that demand constant attention can be exhausting and make it hard to stay engaged over time. We argue that these are not simply personal challenges stemming from autistic traits. Rather, common expectations about how teams should work (e.g., constant availability, thinking out loud, making small talk, adapting quickly to change) can make participation more difficult for autistic people. What is new or controversial about these findings? This study shows that challenges autistic individuals face in teams are not just personal but they are built into how teams work. When every team member is expected to think and communicate the same way, autistic people can be left out, even when they have the knowledge, skills, and abilities the team needs. What are potential weaknesses in the study? This study used a small sample, and most participants had lower support needs. It also focused on teamwork involving sharing ideas, solving problems, and completing academic or professional projects. The findings may not apply to all autistic people or all types of teams. How will these findings help autistic adults now or in the future? These findings suggest that supporting autistic people requires changing how teams are designed and work, rather than asking autistic individuals to adapt or improve their social skills. Organizations and universities can create room for different ways of communicating and working. For example, teams can let people contribute at different times, protect time for uninterrupted work, and switch between short team check-ins and independent work. Recognizing autistic strengths is an important first step. Meaningful inclusion also requires team environments where autistic people can contribute fully and be recognized for what they bring.