Autistic people report experiencing greater comfort socialising and easier communication with other autistic people compared to with non-autistic people. Despite autism being stereotypically associated with a lack of social motivation or community, an autistic community has been described briefly in the literature but is not yet well understood. Autistic community connectedness (ACC) may play an important role in promoting and protecting wellbeing for autistic people. This qualitative study involved interviewing autistic individuals (N = 20) in-person, via a video-based platform, over a text-based platform, or over email (according to the needs of the participants) to investigate ACC. Critical grounded theory tools were used to collect and analyse the data. Three elements of ACC were apparent in the data: belongingness, social connectedness, and political connectedness. Belongingness referred to the general sense of similarity that autistic people experienced with other autistic people, which they often did not with non-autistic people. Social connectedness referred to specific friendship participants formed with other autistic people. Political connectedness referred to a connectedness to the political or social equality goals of the autistic community. Participants described the benefits of ACC as being increased self-esteem, a sense of direction, and access to a sense of community that they did not typically experience with non-autistic people. Lack of connectedness involved ambivalence with an autism diagnosis and/or feelings of internalised stigma. These experiences of ACC may have implications for autistic people’s health and wellbeing, as well as how they deal with exposure to discrimination and stigma.