An eight-week program gave participants better tools to cope with anxiety, overload, and daily pressures.
Stress can feel like background noise for many autistic adults. Not loud enough to be obvious at first. But always there.
The constant sensory input. The pressure to navigate social spaces. The exhaustion of having to adapt to environments that were never designed with autistic people in mind. Over time, that steady drip of stress can become overwhelming.
Now, a new clinical study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden offers something quietly hopeful.
A carefully adapted mindfulness-based stress reduction program helped autistic adults feel less stressed, more emotionally steady, and better able to handle everyday life.
The findings were published in the journal Autism in Adulthood and come from a randomized controlled trial that followed 77 autistic adults in outpatient care.
The researchers split participants into two groups. One group continued with their usual treatment, which could include medication, therapy, or support services. The other group took part in an eight-week mindfulness program designed specifically for autistic adults.
Mindfulness programs are not new. They have been used for decades in people dealing with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and work stress. But autistic adults have often been left out of these studies, or placed into programs not adapted to their needs.
Tatja Hirvikoski, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet and lead researcher on the study, wanted to change that.
Many autistic adults, she explains, worry constantly about whether they can cope with daily stressors. Unexpected changes. Overstimulating environments. Social demands that feel unpredictable and exhausting.
The team wanted to know whether mindfulness could become a practical tool for this kind of stress.
So they adapted the program. The groups were small, and the rooms were low-sensory. Lighting, sounds, and even waiting areas were adjusted.
Instructions were straightforward and specific. They were predictable. There were no vague metaphors or abstract terms. Participants had assigned seats, visual agendas, and scheduled breaks. Even the length of the meditation sessions was adjusted to prevent overload or restlessness.
Two trained teachers led each group, so if someone felt overwhelmed, they could step out for support without disrupting the session.
People who took part in the mindfulness program reported a much greater reduction in stress than those who continued with regular care alone. Their anxiety and depression scores also dropped more. These improvements were still present three months after the program ended.
The effect sizes were solid, right in the range researchers expect for treatments that genuinely help. In everyday terms, participants said something even more meaningful. They felt better equipped to deal with life. Not because their problems disappeared. But their relationship to stress changed.
Instead of being swept away by racing thoughts, bodily tension, or emotional overload, many described being able to pause. Notice. Choose how to respond.
It is a bit like learning to surf instead of being knocked over by every wave. One of the most important findings did not come from questionnaires at all. It came from group discussions at the end of the program.
Participants talked about how safe the group felt. How different it was to sit in a room where everyone was autistic, where no one had to mask or explain themselves. They liked that the exercises were practical rather than theoretical. Breathing. Body scans. Simple awareness of what is happening right now. And they talked about something deeper. A new mindset.
They described seeing their thoughts and reactions with less judgment, less self-blame. More curiosity. That shift may sound subtle, but in chronic stress, it can be life-changing.
Of course, it was not all perfect. Some participants worried about how to keep practicing mindfulness once the structured program ended. That is a real challenge. Habits are easier to build in a supportive group than alone at home.
The researchers see this as an important next step. They are now developing an online version of the program, called I-Mindfulness, to see if similar benefits can be reached digitally.
The study also reminds us of something bigger.
Autistic adults face high rates of anxiety, depression, and long-term stress. Many are unemployed or underemployed. Many struggle to find services that truly fit their needs. Interventions that can reduce stress and improve emotional resilience are not just helpful. They are necessary.
Mindfulness is not a cure for autism, and it is not meant to be. What it offers is something more grounded. A way to meet the moment, to steady the nervous system, to feel a little more at home in your own mind.
For many autistic adults in this study, that made all the difference.