Participation Tempo in Care-Leaving Transitions to Supported Living among Young People with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities

This study examines the transition from residential childcare to adult-supported living as experienced by participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID). Drawing on qualitative data from 17 participants aged 17–45 in Denmark, the study explores how time, tempo and participation shape experiences of safety, agency and belonging during and after transition. Data were generated through interviews incorporating photo-supported dialogue and participant observations. The analysis revealed interrelated themes: safety through relationships and familiar surroundings, being heard and everyday self-determination, and time, tempo and patience. The findings show that transitions governed by institutional routines were often experienced as rushed and unsettling, whereas transitions attuned to participants’ rhythms fostered predictability, trust and meaningful participation. Drawing on disability studies perspectives on crip time, the article develops the concept of participation tempo to conceptualise participation as a temporally and relationally organised practice shaped by alignment between institutional rhythms and lived temporalities.