Knowing me, knowing you: Self defining memories in adolescents with and without an autism spectrum disorder

•Adolescents with ASD could reliably distinguish self-defining memories from everyday memories.•In contrast to controls, the ASD group reported their self-defining memories to reveal less about them than their everyday memories.•Self-esteem was lower in ASD adolescents compared to adolescent controls and this was connected to retrieving more negative self-defining memories.•Adolescent controls referred to achievement themes in their self-defining memories while adolescents with ASD referred more to recreational themes.