{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,3]],"date-time":"2026-10-03T03:59:41Z","timestamp":1790999981982,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,1]],"date-time":"2024-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1725148800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Autism in Adulthood"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>There is considerable conceptual overlap between Autistic hyperfocus and flow, yet these phenomena have seldom been associated in the literature. Moreover, no studies have provided an in-depth empirical investigation of Autistic people's flow-like or hyperfocus experiences. In this study, we sought to address this gap by investigating Autistic people's phenomenological experiences of task immersion, and how their experiences relate to existing conceptualizations of flow, hyperfocus, and monotropism.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>To address this aim, we drew on data from a broader qualitative study, designed in partnership with Autistic community members, to understand Autistic people's experiences of Autistic inertia. For that broader study, Autistic and non-Autistic researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 Autistic adults about their everyday experiences of starting and stopping tasks. During these interviews, participants repeatedly discussed their experiences of task immersion and the benefits and challenges associated with it. We analyzed these responses specifically, using reflexive thematic analysis, adopting a combination of deductive and inductive approaches within an essentialist framework.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Our participants' accounts closely matched conceptual understandings of flow, Autistic hyperfocus, and monotropism. Specifically, the analysis revealed the all-encompassing nature of task immersion experiences, and how it could be difficult to \u201cfind the balance\u201d between the joy and other aspects of everyday life. Despite the drawbacks, participants were glad to be immersed because they felt they could be themselves, with no pretences.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These results are important for reframing task immersion as a state of great potential value to Autistic people's lives, but one that may require additional support if it is to play its role in enabling Autistic people to flourish.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1089\/aut.2023.0032","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,12,20]],"date-time":"2023-12-20T12:52:30Z","timestamp":1703076750000},"page":"362-373","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":43,"title":["\u201cIn a State of Flow\u201d: A Qualitative Examination of Autistic Adults' Phenomenological Experiences of Task Immersion"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"6","author":[{"given":"Hannah","family":"Rapaport","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia."},{"name":"MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hayley","family":"Clapham","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jon","family":"Adams","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenn","family":"Lawson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ka\u015bka","family":"Porayska-Pomsta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UCL Institute of Education, University College London, United Kingdom."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7246-8003","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Elizabeth","family":"Pellicano","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia."},{"name":"Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, United Kingdom."}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_6_2_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Csikszentmihalyi M. Flow the secret to happiness. TED Conferences. 2004. Available from: https:\/\/www.ted.com\/talks\/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness [Last Accessed: July7 2023].","DOI":"10.1037\/e597022010-001"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_3_2","unstructured":"Csikszentmihalyi M. Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row. 1990. Available from: https:\/\/files\/552\/Csikszentmihalyi - 2000 - FLOW The Psychology of Optimal Experience.pdf [Last Accessed: July7 2023]."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-94-017-9088-8_16"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s00426-019-01245-8"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2022.886692"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_7_2","first-page":"38","volume-title":"Good Autism Practice: Autism, Happiness and Wellbeing","author":"McDonnell A","year":"2014","unstructured":"McDonnell A, , Milton D. Going with the flow: Reconsidering \u2018repetitive behaviour\u2019 through the concept of \u2018flow states.\u2019 In: Jones G, , Hurley E, eds. Good Autism Practice: Autism, Happiness and Wellbeing. Birmingham, United Kingdom: BILD; 2014:38\u201347."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_8_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1089\/aut.2018.0035"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_9_2","unstructured":"Csikszentmihalyi M. Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. 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London UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers; 2011."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1362361305051398"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_19_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4614-6435-8_102269-1"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_20_2","article-title":"\u201cI live in extremes\u201d: A qualitative investigation of Autistic adults' experiences of inertial rest and motion","author":"Rapaport H","year":"2023","unstructured":"Rapaport H, , Clapham H, , Adams J, , Lawson W, , Porayska-Pomsta K, , Pellicano E. \u201cI live in extremes\u201d: A qualitative investigation of Autistic adults' experiences of inertial rest and motion. 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ADDitude. 2023. Available from: https:\/\/www.additudemag.com\/understanding-adhd-hyperfocus\/ [Last Accessed: December4 2023]."},{"key":"e_1_3_6_35_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/bjsw\/bcad138"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_36_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Experiences of hyperfocus and flow in college students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)","volume":"1","author":"Grotewiel MM","year":"2022","unstructured":"Grotewiel MM, , Crenshaw ME, , Dorsey A, , Street E. Experiences of hyperfocus and flow in college students with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Curr Psychol. 2022; 1:1\u201311.","journal-title":"Curr Psychol"},{"key":"e_1_3_6_37_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Garau V Murray A Woods R et al. 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