Interventions should target the Black African community in South Africa and should include the reduction of both public stigma and self-reported stigma.

There is evidence for the validity of felt stigma ratings reported by adults with intellectual disabilities, despite different cultural and health service contexts.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of intimate relationships of women who have been diagnosed with Autism in adulthood. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were used to interview eight participants. The data were transcribed and analysed using the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. Findings Four overall themes were identified. These included “Response to the diagnosis and receiving more information about Autism”, “Factors influencing dating behaviour”, “Sex and sexual experiences” and “Experience of intimate relationships as a person with Autism”. Research limitations/implications The results of this study have implications for both research and clinical practice as it highlights the areas in which women newly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could benefit from support. Practical implications The study hopes to add to the limited existing research on adult women with ASD. Originality/value To date no similar research has investigated the same phenomenon through a similar method.