'Maybe more fun and joy in this life of mine would be useful.' Perceptions of play by adults on the autism spectrum

: Introduction: The study presents how adults with ASD experience play, how they understand it and the meaning they assign to it. Method: Four people with a diagnosis of autism (aged 20‒35) participated in individual semi-structured interviews. The collected material was analysed thematically. Results: Five main themes were identified: the difficulty of defining play, the difficulty of experiencing play, the variety of forms of experiencing play, the variety of emotions of experiencing play: the role of the group, play and age. The results show that the play of adults with autism can take different forms and perform different functions. Emotions associated with play are an individual issue and remain related to the physical and social context of play. Conclusions: The study highlights the need for further research related to the functioning of adults on the autism spectrum and exploring the possibilities of play with its applications in therapy.