Self-Compassion: A Strength-Based Approach to Mental Health in Autistic Adults
Tracks
Prince & Virtual via OnAIR
| Monday, August 11, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Prince Room |
Overview
Dr Ru Ying Cai & Dr Chris Edwards - Aspect
Speaker
Dr Ru Ying Cai
Research Fellow
Autism Spectrum Australia
Self-Compassion: A Strength-Based Approach to Mental Health in Autistic Adults
Presentation Overview
Three Key Learnings:
1. Know what self-compassion is and what self-compassion is not.
2. Understand the mental health and well-being benefits of self-compassion practices for Autistic adults.
3. Learn about the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA), which helps users to cultivate self-compassion.
Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression) yet are less likely to receive the support they need. Not receiving appropriate support can significantly decrease Autistic people’s quality of life. We propose self-compassion may be a potential target to improve the mental health of Autistic people. Self-compassion is a kind and gentle way of relating to oneself, especially during challenging moments.
For the proposed workshop, we will first introduce self-compassion and summarise research findings on the self-compassion experiences of Autistic adults. This will be followed by an introduction to the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA). The presenters, Ru and Chris co-produced this self-guided online self-compassion program tailored for Autistic adults. The ASPAA is based on existing evidence-based self-compassion programs and consists of an introductory and five core modules. An Autistic advisory group reviewed the program to increase its inclusiveness and autism-friendliness. Co-production ensured the ASPAA was relevant, relatable, and accessible to the target population.
We have piloted ASPAA with 39 Autistic adults without intellectual disability over five weeks. Participants provided weekly feedback and completed pre- and post-program online surveys measuring self-compassion, positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and psychological well-being. There were significant pre- and post-program improvements in all outcomes. Both the quantitative (survey) and qualitative (weekly interviews of program feedback) findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Autism and will be presented in the workshop.
There will be opportunities for the audience to trial self-compassion practices (how do I treat a friend or loved one vs. myself and finding a comfortable soothing touch). This encourages the audience to understand what self-compassion practices feel like.
We have received two awards for this work: Autism CRC and Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand.
1. Know what self-compassion is and what self-compassion is not.
2. Understand the mental health and well-being benefits of self-compassion practices for Autistic adults.
3. Learn about the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA), which helps users to cultivate self-compassion.
Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression) yet are less likely to receive the support they need. Not receiving appropriate support can significantly decrease Autistic people’s quality of life. We propose self-compassion may be a potential target to improve the mental health of Autistic people. Self-compassion is a kind and gentle way of relating to oneself, especially during challenging moments.
For the proposed workshop, we will first introduce self-compassion and summarise research findings on the self-compassion experiences of Autistic adults. This will be followed by an introduction to the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA). The presenters, Ru and Chris co-produced this self-guided online self-compassion program tailored for Autistic adults. The ASPAA is based on existing evidence-based self-compassion programs and consists of an introductory and five core modules. An Autistic advisory group reviewed the program to increase its inclusiveness and autism-friendliness. Co-production ensured the ASPAA was relevant, relatable, and accessible to the target population.
We have piloted ASPAA with 39 Autistic adults without intellectual disability over five weeks. Participants provided weekly feedback and completed pre- and post-program online surveys measuring self-compassion, positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and psychological well-being. There were significant pre- and post-program improvements in all outcomes. Both the quantitative (survey) and qualitative (weekly interviews of program feedback) findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Autism and will be presented in the workshop.
There will be opportunities for the audience to trial self-compassion practices (how do I treat a friend or loved one vs. myself and finding a comfortable soothing touch). This encourages the audience to understand what self-compassion practices feel like.
We have received two awards for this work: Autism CRC and Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand.
Biography
Dr Ru Ying Cai is a Research Fellow at Aspect and Senior Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. She is passionate about understanding how we can improve the mental health and wellbeing of autistic people and parents of autistic children by studying factors that impact these health outcomes, including emotion regulation and financial wellbeing. Ru is currently leading a research program examining the self-compassion experiences of autistic adults and parents. Her research has been disseminated via international conferences, book chapters, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. She also volunteers as the Board Chair at the not-for-profit Different Journeys.
Dr Chris Edwards
Research Fellow
Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia)
Self-Compassion: A Strength-Based Approach to Mental Health in Autistic Adults
Presentation Overview
Three Key Learnings:
1. Know what self-compassion is and what self-compassion is not.
2. Understand the mental health and well-being benefits of self-compassion practices for Autistic adults.
3. Learn about the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA), which helps users to cultivate self-compassion.
Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression) yet are less likely to receive the support they need. Not receiving appropriate support can significantly decrease Autistic people’s quality of life. We propose self-compassion may be a potential target to improve the mental health of Autistic people. Self-compassion is a kind and gentle way of relating to oneself, especially during challenging moments.
For the proposed workshop, we will first introduce self-compassion and summarise research findings on the self-compassion experiences of Autistic adults. This will be followed by an introduction to the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA). The presenters, Ru and Chris co-produced this self-guided online self-compassion program tailored for Autistic adults. The ASPAA is based on existing evidence-based self-compassion programs and consists of an introductory and five core modules. An Autistic advisory group reviewed the program to increase its inclusiveness and autism-friendliness. Co-production ensured the ASPAA was relevant, relatable, and accessible to the target population.
We have piloted ASPAA with 39 Autistic adults without intellectual disability over five weeks. Participants provided weekly feedback and completed pre- and post-program online surveys measuring self-compassion, positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and psychological well-being. There were significant pre- and post-program improvements in all outcomes. Both the quantitative (survey) and qualitative (weekly interviews of program feedback) findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Autism and will be presented in the workshop.
There will be opportunities for the audience to trial self-compassion practices (how do I treat a friend or loved one vs. myself and finding a comfortable soothing touch). This encourages the audience to understand what self-compassion practices feel like.
We have received two awards for this work: Autism CRC and Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand.
1. Know what self-compassion is and what self-compassion is not.
2. Understand the mental health and well-being benefits of self-compassion practices for Autistic adults.
3. Learn about the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA), which helps users to cultivate self-compassion.
Autistic people are more likely to experience mental health concerns (e.g., anxiety and depression) yet are less likely to receive the support they need. Not receiving appropriate support can significantly decrease Autistic people’s quality of life. We propose self-compassion may be a potential target to improve the mental health of Autistic people. Self-compassion is a kind and gentle way of relating to oneself, especially during challenging moments.
For the proposed workshop, we will first introduce self-compassion and summarise research findings on the self-compassion experiences of Autistic adults. This will be followed by an introduction to the Aspect Self-compassion Program for Autistic Adults (ASPAA). The presenters, Ru and Chris co-produced this self-guided online self-compassion program tailored for Autistic adults. The ASPAA is based on existing evidence-based self-compassion programs and consists of an introductory and five core modules. An Autistic advisory group reviewed the program to increase its inclusiveness and autism-friendliness. Co-production ensured the ASPAA was relevant, relatable, and accessible to the target population.
We have piloted ASPAA with 39 Autistic adults without intellectual disability over five weeks. Participants provided weekly feedback and completed pre- and post-program online surveys measuring self-compassion, positive and negative affect, emotion regulation, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and psychological well-being. There were significant pre- and post-program improvements in all outcomes. Both the quantitative (survey) and qualitative (weekly interviews of program feedback) findings have been published in the peer-reviewed journal Autism and will be presented in the workshop.
There will be opportunities for the audience to trial self-compassion practices (how do I treat a friend or loved one vs. myself and finding a comfortable soothing touch). This encourages the audience to understand what self-compassion practices feel like.
We have received two awards for this work: Autism CRC and Mental Health Service Awards of Australia and New Zealand.
Biography
Dr Chris Edwards is an Autistic Autism Researcher with Aspect (Autism Spectrum Australia) and Adjunct Research Fellow with Griffith University as part of the Inclusive Futures beacon. Chris also serves on the Executive Committee for the Australasian Society for Autism Research (ASfAR) and as a Non-Executive Director of Empower Autism. Chris has been supporting the Autistic community for over 10 years across various roles and is most passionate about research in adulthood.
