What Do We Know about Character Strengths in Autistic People? A Systematic Review

Purpose of Review: This systematic review examined the assessment of Character Strengths (CS) and related outcome variables in autistic people across the lifespan. Recent Findings: 9 quantitative and 7 qualitative studies from five databases met full inclusion criteria. Parent/carer reported children’s CS using open-text questions (e.g., describe “best things” about your child) and questionnaires analogous to CS framework. Autistic adults used self-report measures such as the Values-in-Action Survey, or Temperament and Character Inventory. Parent/carer reports of CS in autistic children and young people mostly included Humanity strengths (e.g., Love, Kindness), whereas autistic adults’ self-report endorsed a greater diversity of CS (e.g., Fairness, Curiosity, Honesty). Only six studies explored the association between CS and wellbeing/life satisfaction. Summary: The use of CS-specific assessment tools in autism research is limited to date. Centred around autistic voices, future research can triangulate information from multiple informants across different contexts to further explore environmental barriers and facilitators for CS development over time, to create more opportunities for authentic strengths expression.