Painted with different brushes—An exploratory study of psychological well-being and attitudes towards autism perceived by adolescents with autism spectrum conditions and their mothers

•We collected data on depressive symptoms and attitudes towards autism (as a neurodivergence or as a disorder).•We examined self-reports and maternal reports of 27 dyads of adolescents with ASC and their mothers.•Adolescents and their mothers viewed childs’ well-being differently, but also their respective assessments were related to different factors.•Attitude towards autism leaned toward significance in predicting the child’s depressive symptoms in the child’s self-assessment.•Adolescents with ASC have a unique perception of their situation. Their subjective point of view should be taken into account to a greater extent.