Help Us Better Understand Loneliness

in Autistic Young Adults!

The Social Experiences and Loneliness in Autistic Young Adults (SELA) project is a 5-year research study.

We want to learn how loneliness changes when autistic young adults go through major life changes.

If you are an autistic young adult between 18 and 30 years old, we want to hear from you!

Major life changes are any event that significantly changes your daily life. For example, you might finish school, move, or start a new job. You might also lose a job, go through relationship changes, or see shifts in your daily supports and services. Of course, many types of changes can affect the lives of autistic adults, and all those experiences matter.

By joining our study, you can help us learn how to better support autistic young adults who face major life changes and struggle with loneliness.

We hope this research helps us build a more supportive world for autistic adults.

👉Sign up here!

Why does this research matter?

Many young adults feel lonely at times.

This often happens during major life changes, like graduating from school, starting a new job, or seeing a shift in support systems.

For autistic young adults, these life transitions can feel even more complicated. They can also make it harder to meet people and make or keep those connections.

This can lead autistic young adults to feel more lonely.

The SELA Project aims to learn:

How autistic young adults experience major life changes.
How these major life changes affect feelings of loneliness.
How to create better supports and services for autistic young adults who go through major life changes.

A cartoon drawing of a person sitting in a big pink armchair. They have brown hair tied up in a bun. They wear a dark t-shirt and green pants. Their hands rest on their face, and they look sad or worried. Above their head is a small grey thought bubble with three dots. Next to the chair stands a tall green plant in a brown pot.

Who is doing this research?

This study is led by a team of autistic and non-autistic scientists and autistic community members.

We use a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach. This means academic scientists and autistic young adults work together as equal members of the research study team.

More specifically, autistic adults help design, guide, and shape every part of this research study from start to finish.

Illustration of five people with different skin tones bringing their fists together in a circle, symbolizing teamwork, unity, and collaboration.

A colorful drawing of four young people sitting together in a circle and chatting. On the left, a girl with dark hair and a purple hoodie holds a coffee cup. Next to her, a boy in a green hoodie smiles. On the right, a girl in a yellow sweater gestures with her hand while talking. In the front, a person with short brown hair and glasses looks at the group. A small wooden coffee table sits in the middle with a cup and a plant on it.

How can this research help autistic adults?

We hope this research will:

Help autistic young adults, their families, and their communities better understand loneliness, especially during big life changes.
Find new, meaningful ways to help autistic adults meet people, make friends, and keep those connections.
Figure out what kind of supports and services truly work best for autistic adults as they navigate major life changes.

Who can join this study?

You may be able to participate if you:

Are between 18 and 30 years old
Live in the United States (US State or US Territory)
Can understand and answer in English
Identify as autistic or on the autism spectrum (with professional diagnosis or self-diagnosis)
Expect a major life change in the next 6 months

A drawing of two smiling people holding up speech devices. The person on the left has short black hair, wears a light blue jacket with a white infinity symbol on the chest, and holds a large purple tablet displaying picture icons. The person on the right has short purple hair, a purple jacket, and is holding up a smaller handheld device with a screen.

Your voice matters, however you share it.

We welcome all autistic adults.

A photograph of an iPad setup on a light marble surface. The iPad is attached to a black keyboard stand and shows various app icons on its screen. To the left of the screen sits a blue card with white capital letters of the alphabet printed on it. To the right of the screen sits a pair of heavy-duty black and red noise-canceling earmuffs.

We want our research to include a wide range of autistic adults. This includes people with intellectual disabilities and a range of different support needs.

We value all forms of communication equally. You are welcome to join whether you use spoken words, AAC (like communication apps, iPads, or letterboards), gestures, sign language, or any other communication tools.

What will you do in this study?

If you decide to join, you will:

Complete online surveys: You will do one online survey at the start of the study. After that, you will take a survey every 6 months for the next 2 years. You will take 5 surveys in total.

Do an interview: We might also invite you to do a one-on-one interview.

Choose how you take part in this study: You can do these activities by yourself or with help. You can get help from someone you know, like a family member or caregiver. You can also get help from a member of our study team. If you want help from our team, please email, call,

or text us.

We will pay you $40 for each survey you finish. If you do an interview, you will also be paid another $40.

Participation in this study is voluntary. Joining this study is completely up to you.

You can choose to take part, or you can stop at any time.

A cartoon drawing of a person with long black hair wearing large blue over-ear headphones. They wear a blue cardigan over a white shirt. They hold a dark smartphone with both hands and look down at the screen.

How do I sign up?

If you want to join this study, you can sign up in one of three ways:

Fill out a short form: Complete our online interest form.
Email us: Send us an email at sela@drexel.edu
Call or text: Contact us at (215) 571-3220.

Do you have questions?

If you have questions about this study, send us a message using the contact form below. You can also email, call, or text us.

Note: the contact form below is only for asking questions. It is different from the interest form you use to sign up for the study.

This project was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (award R01HD118557).

Principal Investigator: Wei Song, PhD, Drexel University