While the abilities and strengths of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasingly recognized, developing strengths-based interventions is hampered by a lack of consensus in regard to their commonly occurring skills and abilities, failure to articulate strengths-based frameworks, and the absence of multiple perspectives in identifying the mechanisms of strengths-based approaches, including those of people with ASD themselves. In this symposium we present findings from four projects adopting a strengths-based approach: The development of ICF core sets for ASD; a scoping review of the literature relating to strengths-based programs underpinning a provisional strengths-based framework; a realist evaluation of computer coding groups for adolescents with ASD employing multiple ethnographic methods defining the context, mechanisms and outcomes of the program; and, the self-reported viewpoints of adolescents diagnosed with ASD, their parents and coding mentors in relation to their participation ASD specific computer coding clubs.