“It Fostered a Greater Appreciation for my Little Corner of the World": A Feasibility Study of a Therapeutic Photography Intervention for the Well-Being of Autistic Young People.

The multifaceted nature of well-being has been overshadowed by an overwhelming focus on negative mental health in the autism literature. This has created a shortage of interventions addressing the promotion of positive emotional (hedonic) and psychological (eudaimonic) states. Therapeutic photography (TP), referring to self-initiated photo-taking activities paired with mindful reflections of the photographs, has the potential to provide an accessible and cost-effective approach to the development of positive mental health interventions for autistic emerging adults. The current study employed a mixed-methods methodology to explore the development, feasibility, and future adaptations of a novel TP intervention aimed at promoting hedonic and eudaimonic well-being among autistic emerging adults. Forty-one autistic young people between the ages of 16 and 25 were recruited. Participant reports indicated that TP is a largely feasible intervention with reference to the domains of demand, implementation, acceptability, practicality, and limited efficacy. Suggestions for future adaptations of the intervention are provided to best address the needs of the community based on study results. Our findings suggest that TP is a promising new direction in the application of positive psychology interventions to promote the well-being of autistic young people.