Moments That Matter: Exploring Autistic Adolescents’ and Their Families’ Joy Through Family Journals

Abstract

Joy is an underexplored dimension in autism research, particularly within family life. This qualitative study examined how autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and their families experience and co-create joy. Using a phenomenological design and reflexive thematic analysis, we analyzed 2-week family joy journals from six families (17 participants: six AYAs, two siblings, and nine caregivers). Journal entries revealed joy as a relational process embedded in everyday routines, creative engagement, and shared experiences. Three overarching themes emerged: Experiences of Everyday Joy (sensory pleasures, creativity, and togetherness), the Relational Nature of Joy (co-experienced joy and creativity), and the Layered Nature of Joy (complex intersections of sensory, emotional, and social dimensions). Families described joy as spontaneous yet deeply meaningful, often heightened by the journaling process. Findings challenge deficit-based narratives by highlighting emotional richness and enjoyment experienced within autistic AYAs and their families. Journaling may hold promise as a supportive routine by drawing attention to protective relational processes such as empathy, reciprocity, and connection. This study highlights the significance of acknowledging joy as a potential catalyst for well-being and flourishing in autism research and practice.

Lay Abstract

Joy is an essential part of life, yet it is rarely studied in autism research. This study explored how autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and their families experience joy in everyday life. We invited six families to keep a “joy journal” for 2 weeks, asking them to write down what brought them joy each day. Seventeen people participated, including six autistic AYAs, two siblings, and nine caregivers. The family joy journals revealed that joy often stemmed from simple, familiar activities, such as reading, listening to music, sharing meals, or spending time with pets. Creative activities, such as drawing, dancing, and playing games, were also familiar sources of joy. Families described joy as something that happens together, not just alone. Many caregivers wrote about feeling joy when they saw their child happy or proud, and AYAs often mentioned enjoying time with family and friends. Three main themes emerged: Experiences of Everyday Joy, the Relational Nature of Joy, and Layered Experiences of Joy, in which sensory pleasure, emotional connection, and shared routines combine. Families reported that the journaling process helped them notice and appreciate joyful moments more frequently. These findings challenge stereotypes that autistic people lack positive emotions. Instead, they show that joy is abundant and deeply relational in autistic AYAs and their families. Recognizing and nurturing joy can strengthen family bonds and support well-being. Simple practices like joy journaling may help families focus on their strengths and create more supportive environments.

Keywords

pleasure autism family protective factors and resilience psychological

An under-researched area in autism is the experiences of joy of autistic adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and their families (Wassell, 2025). At times, joy emerges in autism family-focused research (e.g. Dickson Page et al., 2025; Myers et al., 2009), but it is rarely the focus. In a recent study, autistic scholar Wassell (2025) investigated joy at the individual level, describing it as a liberatory and transformative force rooted in authenticity. Joy is further understood as a discrete and distinctive positive emotional response (Watkins et al., 2018), encompassing emotions, moods, and dispositions (Johnson, 2020). Joy may manifest individually or collectively, serving as a characteristic of persons, social groups, or entire communities (Volf, 2015). This perspective is vital in autism research, where autistic quality of life and mental health (Huang et al., 2025; Siedler et al., 2025) are often lower than in allistic, i.e. someone who is not autistic, populations.

By synthesizing the work of interdisciplinary scholars, we conceptualize joy as a spontaneous, intense emotional experience marked by optimism, insight, creativity, and curiosity. Although often brief, these experiences can be profoundly impactful, often arising from meaningful encounters with nature or individuals, or from moments of gratitude. In the context of this study, joy is particularly relevant for its potential to foster community cohesion, resilience, and self-confidence within autistic AYAs and their families (Cottrell, 2016; Johnson, 2020; Krumrei-Mancuso, 2020; Volf, 2015; Watkins et al., 2018). This research highlights the importance of joy as an emotional state that offers both immediate and lasting benefits to well-being (Pellicano & Heyworth, 2023).

Individual and collective expression of joy varies along dimensions of persistence, source, and relational scope, forming a dynamic and multidimensional experience (Krumrei-Mancuso, 2020). Joy is firmly rooted in the perception of an experience. One person may find trying a new food joyful, while another may find it disconcerting. Therefore, joy arises as an interpreted response to meaningful or valued aspects of life. In autism research, the importance of joy is underscored by its capacity to offer pathways to healing, connection, growth, and flourishing (Pellicano & Heyworth, 2023). In line with Family Resilience Theory, critical processes in family resilience include maintaining an optimistic outlook, providing mutual support and empathy, and openly sharing emotions (Walsh, 2002, 2003, 2016) This framework supports the study’s aim of exploring how joy functions within autistic AYAs and their families, not only as an emotional experience but also as a catalyst for confidence, connection, and well-being. Johnson (2020) asserts that the presence of joyful individuals increases the likelihood and intensity of joy in those around them, underscoring the socially contagious and relational nature of joy.

Family systems theory has long recognized families as dynamic relational systems composed of individuals, routines, practices, and resources that interact to regulate daily life and shape long-term outcomes (Antonovsky & Sourani, 1988; Whitchurch & Constantine, 2008). For autistic AYAs and their families, these systems are uniquely structured to meet the needs, strengths, and communication styles of their neurodiverse system (Dickson Page et al., 2025). Intentionally cultivating family strengths, such as flexibility, shared routines, mutual interests, and supportive communication, can foster resilience and growth across the entire family unit (Dickson Page et al., 2025; Myers et al., 2009). These strengths are particularly vital in autistic AYAs and their families, where affirming neurodivergent identities and building inclusive, adaptive environments contribute to both individual well-being and collective flourishing (Bertilsdotter Rosqvist et al., 2025; Pellicano & Heyworth, 2023).

We hypothesize that autistic AYAs and their families experience and co-create joy as a relational, strengths-building process. We explore this hypothesis through methods that reframe autism beyond deficit models. We affirm that autism is a neurodevelopmental variation that encompasses a broad range of communication styles, social interaction patterns, focused interests, and sensory processing experiences (Lord et al., 2020). These characteristics reflect diverse and valuable ways of thinking, learning, and engaging with the world, thereby enriching human neurodiversity (Dantas et al., 2025; Walker, 2021). To honor the richness of human neurodiversity, resilience-building and identity-affirming protective factors are essential to autism research (Jones et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2024). To do so authentically, the lived experience of autistic individuals is best described by autistics, which is at the foreground of this study. In this paper, the authors intentionally use identity-first language to align with the prevailing preference within the autistic community, recognizing autism as an integral component of personal identity (Garcia, 2021; Kenny et al., 2016; Petty & Ellis, 2024). The guiding research questions for this study were: What are the sources and lived experiences of joy for autistic AYAs and their families, and how is joy co-created within everyday family life?

Methods

Design

This study employed a phenomenological qualitative research design to understand the lived experiences of autistic AYAs and their families. Data were collected through participants’ journaling, which formed daily accounts of joy. Journaling methods were selected to capture every day, in-the-moment experiences of joy as they unfolded within the context of family life. For autistic AYAs, journal-based approaches may be particularly well-suited, as they reduce the social demands of synchronous interviews, support reflection at one’s own pace, and allow participants to communicate in ways that align with their preferences (Warren et al., 2021). This methodology also centers participants’ lived experiences and values, consistent with a strengths-based and neurodiversity-affirming orientation (Pellicano & Heyworth, 2023). Capturing these experiences is also essential for generating insights that inform research, programming, education, practice, and policy.

We used reflexive thematic analysis to examine how autistic AYAs and their families experience joy. Guided by a critical realist epistemology, this study understands participants’ accounts of joy as meaningful reflections of lived experience, while recognizing that knowledge is shaped by social context and by the reflexive interpretation of the allistic authors (Botha, 2025). A critical realist approach allows for both interpretive understanding and attention to underlying relational and structural influences (Botha, 2025), making it well-suited to exploring joy in autistic AYAs and their families across individual, relational, and systemic levels. Joy was conceptualized as a relational phenomenon that is often experienced, negotiated, and sustained within family interactions. Accordingly, the journaling activity engaged the family unit rather than individuals alone, allowing for the examination of shared moments, collective meaning-making, and family dynamics that support joyful experiences. This approach aligns with family theories (e.g. Fredrickson & Joiner, 2002; Walsh, 2016) and reflects the study’s focus on joy embedded within relational familial contexts. The study received ethical approval from the university’s Institutional Review Board under Expedited Category 6 or 7, as defined by 45 CFR 46.110. The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available due to ethical considerations, the sensitive, identifiable nature of the qualitative family data, and protections required for the minor participants.

Setting

Islands of Brilliance is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that designs and delivers innovative, relationship-centered programs for autistic and neurodivergent individuals from age 8 through adulthood. Through the strategic integration of art, design, and creative technologies, Islands of Brilliance fosters self-confidence, independence, and pathways to connection and employment. Its approach is grounded in project-based learning and Universal Design for Learning principles, exemplified by creative arts programs such as illustration, 3D modeling, and animation workshops that are tailored to individual strengths and interests (Burgstahler & Russo-Gleicher, 2015; Carrington et al., 2020; Milton et al., 2016). Islands of Brilliance emphasizes participant-led creative expression, cultivating environments where neurodivergent individuals are empowered to explore and showcase their unique interests and talents. Rejecting deficit-based models, Islands of Brilliance champions a strengths-based framework that reshapes both self-perception and societal narratives, affirming the limitless potential of its participants (Holt et al., 2025).

Autistic individuals and their families typically engage with Islands of Brilliance through referrals from other autism-serving organizations, schools, social workers, or pediatricians, as well as through self-discovery online. Outreach efforts include recurring segments on local news stations, tabling at local and regional conferences and community events, and regular social media engagement. Islands of Brilliance employs a comprehensive concierge intake process: autistic AYAs and their care partners begin with an initial telephone conversation to discuss goals and interests, after which they are invited to observe programming or connected with additional community resources aligned with their needs.

Program participation is supported through a combination of governmental long‑term care funding for individuals with disabilities, grant funding, and participant and family self‑pay. Approximately 90% of overall program participants have a formal autism diagnosis. The participant population is predominantly male (75.2%), with 23.6% identifying as female and 1.2% as gender diverse. Participants have a mean age of 17.86 years (mode = 16 years), with ages ranging from 7 to 36 years. The program serves a racially diverse population, with 65% identifying as White, 15% as Black, and 20% as multiracial or another race; the majority of participants (80%) identify as non‑Hispanic.

The study was conducted in partnership with Islands of Brilliance because the authors had observed recurring moments of joy, connection, and shared engagement within families participating in its programming. These observations prompted a shared interest in exploring how joy was experienced, recognized, and sustained within family life.

Rather than recruiting families broadly, this setting was intentionally chosen as a context in which joyful interactions were already visible but not well understood. Accordingly, the study was designed as an exploratory, context-specific inquiry into relational joy, rather than as a representative or comparative study of families more generally.

Participants

The participants were autistic AYAs, their siblings, and caregivers. The inclusion criteria were based on the autistic AYA participants, who were individuals aged 8 to 30, requiring minimal to moderate functional supports, with an autism diagnosis confirmed by the parent or guardian, able to communicate by writing, typing, using an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device or through speaking, and who had either current or past participation in Islands of Brilliance programs. Only the autistic AYA participant was required to be autistic; caregiver and sibling participation did not depend on neurotype, nor was it assessed. As such, caregivers’ and sibling neurocognitive identities cannot be assumed, and we are unable to examine how caregiver or sibling neurotype may have shaped experiences or representations of joy within families. The exclusion criteria were refusal to provide informed consent, requiring the highest level of functional supports, and/or inability to access an accessible means of communication. Given the sample size, participants’ connection to Islands of Brilliance, and the inclusion of minors, the study team limited the collection of demographic data to reduce the risk of participant re-identification.

Recruitment

The study team recruited families from Islands of Brilliance via email and in person, following program sessions. Recruitment emails contained a concise study description, inclusion criteria, and links to the consent and assent forms. For in-person recruitment, the second author approached caregivers to assess interest. If interest was expressed, the first author provided further details, including the study description, inclusion criteria, and access to the consent and assent forms. Printed copies of these materials were also distributed during in-person interactions. All families who contacted the research team gave their consent for their family to participate in the study. Consistent with community-based participatory research principles (Israel et al., 2001), recruitment and consent were conducted within an established partnership with Islands of Brilliance, grounded in long-term, relationship-centered engagement. This context of mutual trust and familiarity may have supported families’ comfort in learning about the study and choosing whether to participate.

Procedure

After consent was obtained, a caregiver met with the first author, in person or virtually, to discuss the study procedures. The study team member shared an overview and provided written instructions for the family joy journal. The family joy journal had space for the family name and the names of the members who contributed to the study by responding to the writing prompt, “What brought you joy today?” The instructions were also emailed, and a packet containing the instructions and the family joy journal was mailed or handed to the caregiver immediately after the initial meeting.

After the initial meeting, family members completed a daily joy journal entry during the same two-week period. The journaling period was intentionally brief and designed to balance the depth of reflection with feasibility and accessibility for families of autistic AYAs. This time frame supported repeated reflection while minimizing participant burden and respecting families’ competing demands.

After the two-week study period, the caregiver mailed the joy journal to the principal investigator’s university address using a stamped and self-addressed envelope provided to them. AYA participants received a US$30 gift card at the time of consent and a US$50 gift card upon completion of the joy study to acknowledge their sustained engagement in the journaling process across the study period. At the same time, caregivers and siblings participated voluntarily as part of a family‑based activity embedded within everyday routines. This approach reflected ethical considerations related to family dynamics, relative time demands, and available study funding.

Positionality Statement

The author team identifies as neurotypical and brings interdisciplinary expertise in nursing, occupational therapy, art, engineering, special education, and neurodiversity research. Collectively, the authors have professional experience across clinical, educational, and community-based contexts serving autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. Two authors are co-founders of Islands of Brilliance, where recruitment occurred; two authors are employed by Islands of Brilliance in programmatic roles; and two authors are academic research partners. These roles provided deep contextual knowledge of Islands of Brilliance’s strengths-based, arts-centered programming model and facilitated collaborative, trust- and relationship-based engagement with participating families.

All authors have autistic family members, loved ones, or close colleagues. While none of the authors are autistic, proximity to autistic lived experiences shaped our attentiveness to relational dynamics, sensory experiences, and everyday practices of care and connection. We acknowledge that our interpretations are shaped by our social locations, professional training, and outsider perspectives, and we remain reflexive about the limits of our positionality.

Although clinical‑informed frameworks, for example, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (fifth ed.; DSM-5), play an important role in diagnosis and services, their deficit orientation can limit understanding of how autistic people experience joy and meaning. Therefore, this study is theoretically grounded in the neurodiversity paradigm and strengths-based approaches to autism, as well as family systems theory and family resilience theory, rather than on clinical benchmarks. These frameworks guided our intentional shift toward relational processes, protective factors, and everyday experiences of joy within families. Analytically, we adopted a reflexive thematic analysis approach within a critical realist epistemology (Botha, 2025), recognizing that participants’ accounts reflect meaningful lived realities and that our interpretations are co-constructed through the research process.

Analysis

This study used a phenomenological qualitative research design to understand the lived experiences of joy among autistic AYAs and their families. The research prioritized participants’ meanings and first-person accounts, aiming to capture the essence of joy as they experienced and described it. Data were collected through written family journals, which encouraged discussion and reflection on moments of joy, connection, and meaning.

In line with Braun and Clarke’s (2024, 2025) guidance on reflexive thematic analysis, we used a combination of semantic and latent coding. Initial coding prioritized participants’ explicit language and surface meanings, remaining closely grounded in families’ descriptions of joy, while subsequent analytical phases incorporated latent interpretation to attend to underlying relational patterns and contextual influences. This blended approach supported the study’s phenomenological and strengths-based aims by balancing fidelity to participants’ accounts with theoretically informed interpretation. We describe the process in more detail in the subsequent paragraphs.

The first and second authors used reflexive thematic analysis to identify themes and patterns in the data (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2025). The reflexive thematic analysis began with familiarizing oneself with the data through multiple individual readings of the scanned journals. Next, the initial codes were generated within each journal, then across journals, to highlight meaningful features identified by the first and second authors. In the third step, codes were defined and consolidated based on conceptual similarities through iterative discussions between the first and second authors. This was followed by an initial discussion of themes, during which they were refined individually and collectively to accurately reflect participants’ voices and the phenomenological depth of their experiences. In the fifth step, the first and second authors defined and named the themes, further discussing the essence of each theme and how it contributed to the autistic AYAs’ and their families’ experiences of joy within the overall narrative. Then they assigned the themes through numerous discussions, organizing the data according to the relationships among the codes. Finally, in the sixth step, all authors reached consensus on the themes and definitions to ensure the themes reflected shared emotional, relational, and contextual aspects of joy, and the analysis was contextualized within the research question and the existing literature.

The reflexive thematic analysis approach, using a combination of semantic and latent coding, enabled the authors to move beyond surface-level descriptions and to illuminate how joy is understood, felt, and co-created in the everyday lives of autistic AYAs and their families. This structured approach ensures transparency, consistency, and depth in qualitative analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2025). Thematic development was iterative, and all themes were discussed and agreed upon collectively by the research team. During this process, the authors engaged in reflexive note-taking, which fostered discussion and consensus on the final codes and themes. The authors used the checklist for conducting and reporting qualitative diary methods in mental health research, published by McCombie and colleagues (2024), to guide the reporting of this study.

Community Involvement Statement

The present research was shaped by the study team’s observations of students coming alive when immersed in their special interests and free to express their creativity. In these moments, parents often shared that they saw their child in a new light, experiencing a deeper sense of connection and understanding than ever before. These discussions informed the study’s focus and design, emphasizing strengths-based and relational perspectives. The family journaling created space for participants to articulate moments of joy and meaning from their perspectives, shaping the study through their lived experiences, priorities, and ways of expressing connection.

Results

Seventeen individuals participated in the study, including six autistic AYAs aged 10 to 26 years, two siblings, and nine caregivers. The AYA participants were male or non-binary individuals who spoke or were minimally speaking. The nine caregivers comprised six mothers and three fathers. The two siblings were adults from two different families, a brother and a sister, who lived with the family. Table 1 displays the family units and participants.

Table 1.

Family Participation.

Family code	Participants
Family 1	AYA, Mom, Dad
Family 2	AYA, Mom, Dad
Family 3	AYA, Mom
Family 4	AYA, Mom, Dad
Family 5	AYA, Mom, Sister
Family 6	AYA, Mom, Brother

In the family journals, not all participants had entries every day. The most consistent entries were from the autistic AYAs, who collectively missed only three of 84 possible entries over the 2‑week study period. The lengths of entries and the ways families completed the journals varied. Most families wrote lists of joyful experiences each day, ranging from one-word entries like “Legos!” and phrases like “folding laundry; creating artwork; watching Fantasia. . .,” to full sentences: “Having a friend tag me on Facebook, making fun of my obsession with Heath Bars :).” The entries in the list of joyful experiences varied in length, ranging from 4 to 14 entries per day. Other families wrote in short paragraphs, “Today I found joy at a cooking class. I made some jokes and learned some cooking. After the class, I helped serve the food to people who needed a hot meal.” The mean length of the combined daily entries was 23 words, with a range of 1 to 39 words per entry.

Joy for autistic AYAs and their families was not rare, exceptional, or fleeting; it was grounded in ordinary, patterned moments that wove together sensory engagement, creativity, and relationships. Our analysis indicates that joy most often emerged through everyday activities, e.g. making, sharing, noticing, and caring, that become meaningful because they are repeated, socially situated, and affirming. Across family journals, joy was consistently experienced as both personal and relational, shaped by interactions with others and layered across moments of action, observation, and connection. These patterns informed three central claims about joy: that it is embedded in everyday life, inherently relational, and multilayered rather than singular or episodic. The first theme, Experiences of Everyday Joy, demonstrates that joy was not extraordinary but emerged through routine creative and sensory engagements that participants consistently describe as meaningful. The second theme, The Relational Nature of Joy, demonstrates how joy was amplified through shared experiences, mutual recognition, and acts of kindness. The third theme, The Layered Nature of Joy, illustrates how joy unfolded across simultaneous forms of engagement and meaning. In the sections that follow, we elaborate on these themes and illustrate them with excerpts from family journals to foreground how joy was lived, recognized, and carried forward in everyday life. Figure 1 visually depicts the thematic relationships among the codes.

Figure 1.

Family Joy Journal Themes.

Theme 1: Experiences of Everyday Joy

Families described joy as something woven into the fabric of everyday life, emerging through familiar routines, sensory pleasures, and creative engagement rather than through extraordinary or rare events. Further, the comforting rhythm of simple daily routines provided structure, predictability, and emotional connection. Activities such as reading, watching movies, eating favorite foods, and engaging in artistic activities were commonly journaled, reflecting the importance of familiar and meaningful experiences. Acts of Kindness were often acknowledged by caregivers who received thoughtful actions from their autistic children. The following are the six inductive codes, their definitions, and exemplar quotes that align with the theme of Experiences of Everyday Joy. The subsequent themes, Relational Nature of Joy and the Layered Nature of Joy, were unique combinations of these codes that emerged from the family journals.

Consuming, defined as immersing themselves in what’s offered, whether emotionally, intellectually, or sensorially, occurred frequently across the joy journals. Examples included “I heard a song at the end of a movie, and the song brought me so much joy inside, I can’t explain it, but it’s good” (AYA 1). “Watching a funny video of a groundhog taking a shower” (AYA 2). “Cup of coffee on the couch after dropping off boys at school” (Mom 3). “Reading brought me joy!” (AYA 4). “Reading a good book and coffee” (Mom 2). “Warm soup for dinner” (AYA 6).

Creating, defined as intentionally producing something through one’s ideas, skills, and effort, emerged as a consistently referenced code across family journals. As a solo code, the focus is on creative activities done independently. When combined with other codes, Creating included activities related to play, such as tag, hide-and-seek, and board games. Exemplars included, “I found joy using markers and coloring bookmarks (I did this for hours)” (AYA 1). “Dancing in the kitchen to a favorite song” (AYA 2). “Writing literacy work” (AYA 4). “Had a lot of fun creating a new adventure at Islands of Brilliance” (AYA 5). “Drawing a ‘turkey’ in class” (AYA 3).

Togetherness, defined as the shared experiences of conversation, activities, or simply being with family, friends, and pets, frequently appeared in the joy journals. Example data included, “Taking a walk with my brother, parents, and dogs” (AYA 3). “Brilliant Monster Bash” (Halloween party for autistic AYAs and families) (Mom 1). “Going to the bread store with Dad” (AYA 2). “Snuggling with my dog Willow” (AYA 5). “Playing with my fish, Dorothy, and my cat, Chewbacca” (AYA 6). “Sleeping over at my friend’s house” (AYA 6). “Walking to [coffee shop] with my brother” (AYA 6). “Roughhousing and tickling (AYA 1) while others were cooking” (Dad 1).

Observations are details an individual identifies or notes about an event, object, or situation. “The smell of homemade cookies baking in the oven” (Mom 2). “A big bright beautiful moon tonight on our walk” (Mom 2). “Excited about last day of school” (AYA 3). “Christmas tree – brings me joy!” (AYA 4). “The sunny day outside!” (AYA 6). “Quiet Saturday AM having coffee before work” (Mom 4).

Reciprocal Joy is defined as joy arising from empathy and appreciation of another’s happiness. “I so enjoyed seeing (AYA 1) happy, and proud and interacting AND the camaraderie” (Mom 1). “Seeing (AYA 4) participate at Islands of Brilliance” (Mom 4). “(AYA 4’s) verbalization about what brings him joy” (Mom 4). “I was very proud of him. This is challenging [trimming the Christmas tree] due to the texture of the tree” (Mom 5). “Caught (AYA 2) sneaking a Snickers bar (made me laugh)” (Mom 2). “Watching all the students at Islands of Brilliance smile” (Dad 4). “Watching how happy the boys are about Thanksgiving break” (Mom 3).

Acts of Kindness are defined as thoughtful behaviors intended to benefit others that ease another’s burden, bring comfort, or spark joy. “(AYA 2) sent me a picture to cheer me up” (Mom 2). At times, parents and children acknowledged the same act, “Made drinks for parents” (AYA 2). “(AYA 2) made me a special drink because I didn’t feel good” (Mom 2). “Giving gifts to one another” (AYA 6).

Theme 2: Relational Nature of Joy

Across the journals, joy was co-experienced and circulated between people as a relational phenomenon, experienced through shared presence, mutual engagement, and attunement to emotional states. Rather than being described as an isolated internal feeling, joy was most often narrated in moments of togetherness, when family members participated in activities side by side, collaborated creatively, or derived happiness from witnessing another’s enjoyment. These accounts highlight joy as something that reverberates within familial relationships, strengthening emotional bonds and reinforcing shared meaning.

Families frequently described joy arising during everyday activities that were not extraordinary in themselves, but became meaningful through connection. Shared meals, walks, games, music, and creative projects served as relational spaces where joy unfolded organically. These examples illustrate the comfort and pleasure of being together, “Talking with (AYA 2) during Packers game” (Mom 2). “Having dinner and seeing a musical with Grandma [name]” (AYA 6). “Christmas shopping for Mom & Dad with [sister]” (AYA 6). “Listening to amazing folk/rock music with my sons!” (Dad 6). “Pizza with Dad while Mom was at work” (AYA 3). “Relaxing walk with Mom and listening to the waves at the beach” (AYA 2).

Notably, the journal entries demonstrated how relational joy was co-created through creative and playful interaction, such as playing games together, dancing, or collaborating on art. The following excerpts illustrate the joyful moments of creating together, “Finishing it up with [Mentor] and talking about my poster with all the people in the audience” (AYA 1). “ Going to [Theatre company for Disabled Artists] class: performing” (AYA 2). “Playing a new game with [friend and brother]” (AYA 3). “Playing with cousins – cars, trucks, hide and seek” (AYA 6).

Joy was also often expressed through reciprocity, particularly when caregivers experienced happiness in response to their child’s pride, independence, or creative expression. Caregivers wrote about feeling joyful when observing their child succeed in activities that were personally meaningful or challenging, such as sharing a favorite song, participating in a community event, or completing a creative project. In one instance, a dad and son wrote the same joy, but from their perspective, “Playing ping pong with (AYA 4)” (Dad 4). “Playing ping pong with Dad” (AYA 4). The following excerpts illustrate how joy functioned as an empathic response, deepened by understanding each family member’s sensory preferences, interests, and communication styles. “It brought me joy when (AYA 4) independently shared a favorite song – he took his phone, typed in a video, and displayed it on the TV. Then he played another and said, ‘This is my favorite Christmas song!’” (Mom 4). “Being with family. Smiling faces. Love” (AYA 5). Mother reflecting on an autism-friendly Halloween party, “Everything about this event to me was the essence of joy” (Mom 1).

Theme 3: Layered Nature of Joy

Joy was not experienced as a singular or isolated phenomenon but as a layered convergence of sensory, relational, and temporal dimensions. Families described joy as emerging through moments where pleasure, presence, and continuity over time intersect, making these experiences memorable. Rather than attributing joy to any single activity or interaction, participants described it as unfolding across multiple dimensions simultaneously; joy was felt, shared, and remembered. Everyday moments such as watching a movie together, celebrating holidays, or engaging in teaching and learning illustrate how joy was produced through this convergence, revealing it as an atmosphere created through combined forms of engagement rather than a discrete emotional outcome. Examples from family journals included, “Watching [son 1] play basketball, [son 2] cheering for him and being happy to be there” (Mom 3). “Finished Harry Potter! Talking with [son] about a plan for a movie marathon and how excited he is” (Mom 3).

These entries also revealed how joy could be heightened through observation and shared meaning-making. Family members described moments of noticing, such as a child walking ahead independently, making a social gesture, or learning a new behavior, which carried emotional significance and growth beyond the immediate action. Family entries included, “Hanging out with [grandson] and watching him learn new mimic behavior with Opa (grandpa) - Makes (AYA 5) laugh” (Mom 5). “[Grandson] learning how to fist bump (AYA 5) was a funny afternoon” (Mom 5). “Seeing (AYA 4) walk ahead of us without encouragement” (Mom 4). “(AYA 4) initiated brushing his teeth independently” (Mom 4). In these instances, joy arose from recognizing growth, connection, or possibility, illustrating how meaning and emotion were layered onto ordinary interactions.

Layered family joy narratives illustrated how connection, acts of kindness, and creativity contribute to the relational and emotional depth of joy in the experiences of autistic AYAs and their families, including “Time with nieces and nephews, play-dough with [nephew], pie in the face” (Mom 3). “(AYA 5) was a huge help getting ready for Thanksgiving! I think this made him proud of himself” (Mom 5). “[Brothers] playing together – [Son 1] helping teach [Son 2] how to play, watching his kindness” (Mom 3). “Decorating our Christmas tree, boys being excited about it, looking at ornaments and thinking of fond memories of Grandma and childhood” (Mom 3). These layered experiences of joy affirm the richness of family life and highlight the value of holistic approaches in autism research that recognize the emotional complexity and relational capacity of autistic people and their families.

Collectively, this theme illustrates joy as a complex, multidimensional process rather than a singular emotional state. Layered joy emerged when sensory enjoyment, emotional resonance, and relational connection intersected, revealing the depth and richness of autistic family life. By attending to these intersections, this theme underscores how joy operates across individual, relational, and systemic levels, reinforcing the central role of connection, meaning, and shared experience in families.

Discussion

This study was grounded in the recognition that joy remains an underexamined yet consequential aspect of autistic AYAs’ lives and family experiences. Although moments of joy occasionally appear in family‑focused autism research (e.g. Dickson Page et al., 2025; Myers et al., 2009), they are rarely foregrounded as primary outcomes or analytic foci. Consistent with broader conceptualizations of joy as a distinctive positive emotional response encompassing emotions, moods, and dispositions (Johnson, 2020; Watkins et al., 2018), our research questions sought to elucidate the sources and lived experiences of joy for autistic AYAs and their families, and to explore how joy is co‑created within daily family life.

Overall, participants described engaging in joyful shared activities as moments of connection and meaning that they perceived as supportive in everyday life. Findings highlight that participants experienced subtle moments of joy, such as baking cookies or running errands together, which frequently permeated their family unit. This is an important finding consistent with the attributes of joy identified by Cottrell (2016). Joy among families with autistic AYAs emerged spontaneously, often during routine moments of interpersonal connection. Participants reported recognizing joyful experiences in their lives and deriving joy from witnessing loved ones’ happiness. They emphasized that the journal prompt heightened their awareness of these moments, making daily experiences of joy more salient. These findings underscore that joy in autistic AYAs and their families is systemic and relational rather than solely individual.

The findings highlight the central role of creativity, shared experiences, and sensory pleasures in cultivating joy among autistic AYAs and their families. Activities such as reading, watching movies, playing sports together, and creative pursuits like drawing and acting were commonly cited, suggesting that joy often arises from familiar, accessible, and personally meaningful activities. Fredrickson’s (2001, 2004) Broaden-and-Build Theory asserts that experiencing joy broadens individuals’ urge to engage in creative, social, physical, intellectual, and artistic behaviors. The positive emotions serve as catalysts for personal development and stronger social bonds. By enhancing individual and collective resources, emotions like joy contribute to long-term well-being and resilience (Fredrickson, 2001, 2004; Fredrickson & Losada, 2005). Raising awareness of joy in autistic AYAs and their families may further support the reciprocal benefits of recognizing joyful moments in their lives.

The joy journal entries revealed that joy within autistic AYAs and their families is deeply relational, consistently emerging through shared experiences, acts of kindness, creative expression, and everyday routines. Drawing on Walsh’s (2002, 2003, 2016) Family Resilience Framework, the family journals illustrated how key relational processes, such as honoring individual differences, engaging in pleasurable interactions, and maintaining supportive communication, may have fostered collective well-being. The journal entries further underscore that joy is not merely a particular emotional state, but a systemic phenomenon embedded in shared patterns and practices. Predictable routines regulate daily life, reinforce emotional bonds, and contribute to positive family outcomes. Moreover, they align with autism research, which emphasizes the importance of predictability, sensory experiences, and autonomy in promoting neurodivergent well-being (Lee et al., 2024). The findings affirm that joy is both accessible and occurs within environments that are affirming and inclusive (Walsh, 2002, 2003, 2016).

The family narratives noting Reciprocal Joy in the journals align with Positivity Resonance Theory (Fredrickson, 2016), which posits that shared positive emotions foster mutual care, synchrony, and deeper social connectedness. These emotionally resonant experiences, such as collaborative art-making, shared meals, and reciprocal acts of kindness, can generate momentary meaning but also potentially cultivate enduring relational and psychological resources (Brown & Fredrickson, 2021; Prinzing et al., 2023). Within Positivity Resonance Theory (Fredrickson, 2016), such layered joyful interactions broaden relational capacity and support emotional resilience, underscoring the significance of nurturing joy through everyday practices. The concept of Freudenfreude, the joy experienced in response to another’s happiness, reflects the essence of these relational exchanges and aligns with research on capitalization and active-constructive responding, which demonstrates that sharing positive events and receiving supportive, enthusiastic responses enhances relationship satisfaction (Gable et al., 2006; Gable & Reis, 2010). Participants’ accounts of their connection with family, friends, and mentors as central to their joy further affirm Vaillant’s (2008) assertion that joy is inherently relational and arises from a perceived connection to something good.

In developing our understanding of joy through family journals, this research challenges deficit-based narratives that have historically dominated autism research and practice, particularly within medical and educational contexts, where a negativity bias often foregrounds limitations over strengths (Bruno et al., 2025). By illuminating the emotional richness, relational depth, and creative capacities within autistic AYAs and their families, this study aligns with a more nuanced understanding of autism, recognizing that autistic lives, like all lives, can involve both support needs and meaningful opportunities to thrive (Wassell, 2025).

The explicit focus on joy shaped both the nature of the data generated and the interpretive scope of the analysis. By inviting families to attend specifically to joyful moments, the journaling activity centered positive, meaningful experiences while potentially de‑emphasizing stress, conflict, or ambivalence, situating the findings as reflections of joy elicited through a strengths‑focused practice rather than a comprehensive account of family life. Within this framing, joy was conceptualized not as an individual emotional state but as a relational and shared process within the family unit. Because journal entries were often completed collaboratively, joyful experiences were frequently co‑constructed through shared reflection and interaction, making them difficult to disentangle into discrete individual accounts and instead highlighting how joy emerged, was recognized, and gained meaning within family relationships.

While participants described joy in ways that reflected connection, meaning, and creating, this study does not establish causal relationships between joyful experiences and well‑being or resilience. Rather, the findings foreground participants’ lived experiences and interpretations of joy as it was encountered and understood within family contexts. Taken together, these findings suggest a need to reconsider how joy, connection, and creativity are conceptualized in autism research, particularly within frameworks that prioritize deficit and impairment. The journaling process may have supported families in recognizing and articulating positive moments embedded in daily life, moments that are often overlooked within clinical accounts. By centering autistic voices and families’ lived experiences, this study contributes to a growing body of work advocating for inclusive, capability‑focused approaches to autism research (Wassell, 2025).

Limitations and Future Research

There are several critical considerations in interpreting these findings. First, journal entries from autistic AYAs and family members were considered collectively to explore family-level experiences of joy. However, this approach limits our ability to examine how joy may be experienced, described, or emphasized differently across individuals and neurotypes. For example, the theme of reciprocal joy may reflect relational dynamics as described by caregivers. Still, without neurotype-specific analysis, it cannot be interpreted as uniquely representing non-autistic or autistic perspectives.

Second, there is the sample’s gendered composition. All autistic AYAs identified as male or non-binary. The absence of autistic females or other gender diverse participants reflects a well-documented diagnostic, referral, and service access disparity, particularly for those whose presentations may not align with stereotypical or historically male-centered conceptualizations of autism (Tien et al., 2025). As such, the experiences of joy described in this study may not capture how autistic girls, women, and gender diverse individuals, particularly those navigating intersecting gender-based expectations and marginalization, experience, express, or are afforded opportunities for joy. Future research must prioritize larger and more diverse samples of autistic AYAs, with particular attention to the joyful experiences of autistic females and gender-diverse individuals, autistic people of color, individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, those with higher or fluctuating support needs, and families facing limited access to services or community-based organizations, all who remain significantly underrepresented in the literature (Coburn & Williams, 2022; Tien et al., 2025; Voulgarakis et al., 2025).

In addition, caregiver journal entries were more frequently authored by mothers than by fathers, thereby shaping which perspectives were most visible in the dataset. This imbalance likely reflects gendered caregiving roles and the unequal distribution of emotional and relational labor within families (Benson et al., 2008; Uncu et al., 2025). As a result, narratives of joy may be disproportionately framed through maternal lenses, potentially overlooking how fathers or other caregivers engage with or interpret joyful family experiences.

This study did not collect or report extensive demographic information, including family socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, or participants’ specific ages. Given the families’ affiliation with Islands of Brilliance, the sample size, and the inclusion of minors, we were cautious about sharing details that could risk participant re-identification. In addition, the sample did not include autistic individuals who require the highest levels of support, particularly those without an accessible means of communication, reflecting a methodological limitation of the journaling approach. This underscores the need for future joy-focused autism research to intentionally expand the use of inclusive methods, such as visual, sensory-based, observational, or co-constructed approaches that honor multiple ways of expressing and experiencing joy.

Although caregivers and siblings were not financially compensated, they contributed meaningful relational perspectives to the study. Future family-based research should explore funding and compensation models that thoughtfully recognize the involvement of all family members while remaining attentive to ethical considerations within family systems.

Because participants were connected to Islands of Brilliance and had access to supportive services, their experiences of joy may differ from those of autistic AYAs and families with more limited resources. Access to these supports may have shaped families’ capacity to engage in reflective practices and shared joyful activities. Accordingly, the findings reflect experiences of joy within a specific, strengths-oriented community context and may not be transferable to families navigating greater unmet needs or systemic barriers, nor generalized beyond similar supportive environments.

Follow‑up interviews were not conducted, which shaped the scope of our interpretations and limited opportunities for participants to comment on or elaborate on analytic claims. This decision was made intentionally to reduce participant burden and preserve the journaling activity’s low‑demand, embedded nature. Given the researchers’ positionalities, we attended carefully to reflexivity through team‑based analysis and ongoing critical dialogue, recognizing interpretation as a situated and iterative process. These limitations also mark a clear site for future work: incorporating autistic researchers, participant follow‑up, or member reflection processes would strengthen participatory dimensions and support deeper interpretive rigor (Désormeaux-Moreau & Courcy, 2024). Finally, consistent with the study’s critical realist epistemology, our analyses reflect interpretations filtered through our own contexts and understandings; as such, the realities presented may diverge from both participants’ lived realities and any singular “actual” reality (Botha, 2025).

Implications for Clinicians, Educators, and Families

The journaling activity was intentionally designed as a structured reflective practice that supported autistic AYAs and their families in attending to, articulating, and sharing positive daily experiences. By prompting participants to notice and document moments of joy, the activity encouraged strengths-based reflection, reinforced shared family values, and created intentional opportunities for positive connection. In this way, journaling served not only as a data source but also as a routine that fostered shared meaning-making, emotional awareness, and family cohesion through a recurring, low-burden practice.

Joy journaling could be adopted as an activity for clinicians, educators, and families to amplify protective factors, such as empathy, reciprocity, and social connection, in strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming practice. Joyful journaling can also deepen professionals’ understanding of their clients’ daily support systems.

The journal prompt may be modified to explore other experiences of autistic AYAs and their families, e.g. Where did I feel most like myself today? What did I learn or notice today that surprised me? When did I feel proud of myself or someone in our family today? What creative thing did I do or see today? What am I grateful for right now? The family journal could explore the same prompt for a designated period or have a different prompt each day to explore various experiences. Finally, echoing Wassell (2025), autistic AYAs and their families often emphasize the value of nature and animals in their lives; we support their call to integrate these elements into our practices, research, and narratives.

Conclusion

The findings contribute to strengths-based autism research by highlighting an acceptable method that can be further employed to promote protective factors in autistic AYAs, including positive reciprocity, empathy, and social connection (Prinzing et al., 2023). The neurodiversity paradigm emphasizes the value of neurological differences and advocates for strengths-based approaches to autism (Horton et al., 2024; Lee et al., 2024; Wassell, 2025). The theme Layered Nature of Joy aligns with this model by highlighting how autistic individuals and their families experienced joy through sensory engagement, creativity, and connection. Rather than viewing these experiences through a deficit lens, this paradigm supports the recognition and amplification of the unique ways people make meaning, express identity, and flourish. This study contributes interpretive insights suggesting that participants’ accounts position relational joy as meaningful in how families experience connection, with implications for understanding family dynamics in autism research. Taken together, participants’ accounts suggest that joy is neither rare nor absent in the lives of autistic AYAs and their families, but is experienced as relational and meaningful in how families connect and thrive.

Supplemental Material

sj-pdf-1-aut-10.1177_13623613261455919 – Supplemental material for Moments That Matter: Exploring Autistic Adolescents’ and Their Families’ Joy Through Family Journals

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-aut-10.1177_13623613261455919 for Moments That Matter: Exploring Autistic Adolescents’ and Their Families’ Joy Through Family Journals by Jeana M. Holt, Katelyn Siekman, Margaret Fairbanks, Mark Fairbanks, Matthew Juzenas and Nathaniel Stern in Autism

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

We extend our deepest gratitude to the autistic adolescents and young adults and their families who generously shared their time, experiences, and reflections through the Joy Journal study. Your openness and insights were invaluable in shaping this research and advancing understanding of what brings joy in everyday life.

ORCID iDs

Jeana M. Holt

Katelyn Siekman

Nathaniel Stern

Ethical Considerations

All procedures performed in this study were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional review board and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments, or with comparable ethical standards. The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Institutional Review Board determined that this study qualified for expedited review under 45 CFR 46.110 and 21 CFR 56.110, specifically under categories 6 and 7 as defined by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Food and Drug Administration. The research activities involved no more than minimal risk to participants.

Consent to Participate

Written and verbal consent or assent was obtained from all participants, as appropriate to their age and level of understanding.

Author Contributions

Jeana M. Holt: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administration; Resources; Supervision; Validation; Visualization; Writing – original draft; Writing – review & editing.

Katelyn Siekman: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Investigation; Methodology; Validation; Writing – review & editing.

Margaret Fairbanks: Conceptualization; Visualization; Writing – review & editing.

Mark Fairbanks: Conceptualization; Writing – review & editing.

Matthew Juzenas: Conceptualization; Visualization; Writing – review & editing.

Nathaniel Stern: Conceptualization; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Methodology; Validation; Writing – review & editing.

Funding

The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was partly supported by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). JMH, NS, and KS received funding from the NEA, Award Numbers: 1925064-38-23 and 1942596-38-25. To learn more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit . The NEA did not play a role in the study design, data collection and analysis, publication decision, or manuscript preparation.

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting this study are not publicly available due to privacy and confidentiality considerations involving participants and their families. No additional data can be shared.

Supplemental material

Supplemental material for this article is available online.

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