"I need them for my autism, but I don't know why": Exploring the friendship experiences of autistic children in UK primary schools.

IF 2.5 Q1 EDUCATION, SPECIAL Autism and Developmental Language Impairments Pub Date : 2024-09-05 eCollection Date: 2024-01-01 DOI:10.1177/23969415241275934
Laura Fox, Kathryn Asbury
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Abstract

Background and aims: Autistic children can experience challenges in making and maintaining friendships, and middle childhood (ages 6-12) may be particularly challenging as social networks become more complex. However, a large proportion of research into these experiences is based on adult reports or focuses on the experiences of adolescents, meaning that the voices of younger children are absent. Due to the exclusion of younger children from research, we have a limited understanding of their first-hand experiences of their friendships and the support they receive, which has implications for friendship support and wellbeing. This study aimed to amplify the voices of younger autistic children to explore their first-hand experiences of friendships and highlight areas of social support which may be most beneficial to primary-aged autistic children.

Methods: This study used novel creative methods to support interviews with 19 autistic primary school-aged children to explore their experiences of friendship. Parent-led interviews and scrapbooks supported the children in discussing the challenges and strengths of their friendships.

Results: Children discussed the challenges and strengths of their friendships including the impact of social norms on the need to have friends and their support needs in this area of life. Children also discussed gaps in their current friendships and how they would like to see these filled. It was clear that not all children required or wanted neurotypical-style friendships, with many valuing companionship and gameplay over intimacy. Analysis highlighted the heterogeneity of autistic children's friendships, especially in relation to gender and age, calling for more tailored and individualized support.

Conclusion and implications: Results from the current study show that autistic children can and do have successful friendships but that these friendships may differ from those of their non-autistic peers. The study further adds to the existing literature by showing that younger autistic children can be included in research by using differentiated, accessible and creative methods, and that they are able to voice their opinions on matters surrounding support. It also calls for a tailored approach to supporting autistic children in school and speaking with children to give them autonomy over the support they want to receive.

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"我的自闭症需要他们,但我不知道为什么":探索英国小学自闭症儿童的友谊经历。
背景和目的:自闭症儿童在结交和维持友谊方面可能会遇到困难,尤其是童年中期(6-12 岁),因为社交网络变得更加复杂。然而,有关这些经历的大部分研究都是基于成人的报告,或侧重于青少年的经历,这意味着缺乏年幼儿童的声音。由于低龄儿童被排除在研究之外,我们对他们在友谊中的第一手经验以及他们所获得的支持的了解非常有限,这对友谊支持和幸福感都有影响。本研究旨在放大年龄较小的自闭症儿童的声音,以探索他们对友谊的第一手经验,并强调可能对小学年龄自闭症儿童最有益的社会支持领域:本研究采用新颖的创造性方法,对 19 名小学学龄自闭症儿童进行访谈,探讨他们的友谊经历。家长主导的访谈和剪贴簿帮助孩子们讨论他们友谊的挑战和优势:结果:孩子们讨论了他们交友的挑战和优势,包括社会规范对交友需求的影响以及他们在这方面的生活支持需求。孩子们还讨论了他们目前友谊中存在的差距,以及他们希望如何弥补这些差距。很明显,并不是所有儿童都需要或想要神经典型式的友谊,许多儿童更看重陪伴和游戏,而不是亲密关系。分析凸显了自闭症儿童友谊的异质性,尤其是在性别和年龄方面,这就要求提供更多量身定制的个性化支持:本研究的结果表明,自闭症儿童可以而且确实拥有成功的友谊,但这些友谊可能与非自闭症儿童的友谊不同。本研究进一步补充了现有的文献,表明可以通过使用差异化、无障碍和创造性的方法让年龄较小的自闭症儿童参与研究,而且他们能够就有关支持的问题发表意见。研究还呼吁在学校为自闭症儿童提供量身定制的支持方法,并与儿童交谈,让他们自主决定希望获得的支持。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Autism and Developmental Language Impairments
Autism and Developmental Language Impairments Psychology-Clinical Psychology
CiteScore
3.20
自引率
0.00%
发文量
20
审稿时长
12 weeks
期刊最新文献
Teachers' use of augmented input and responsive strategies in schools for students with intellectual disability: A multiple case study of a communication partner intervention. Early development score as a prognostic factor in nonverbal/minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder: A matched case-control study in Cyprus. Normal but Different: Autistic Adolescents Who Score Within Normal Ranges on Standardized Language Tests Produce Frequent Linguistic Irregularities in Spontaneous Discourse. "I need them for my autism, but I don't know why": Exploring the friendship experiences of autistic children in UK primary schools. How do children with language disorder perceive their peer interactions? A qualitative investigation.
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