Anderson Ariana, Locke Jill, Kretzmann Mark, Kasari Connie
University of California, Los Angeles, USA
University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Autism. 2016 Aug;20(6):700-9. doi: 10.1177/1362361315603568. Epub 2015 Nov 13.
Although children with autism spectrum disorder are frequently included in mainstream classrooms, it is not known how their social networks change compared to typically developing children and whether the factors predictive of this change may be unique. This study identified and compared predictors of social connectivity of children with and without autism spectrum disorder using a social network analysis. Participants included 182 children with autism spectrum disorder and 152 children without autism spectrum disorder, aged 5-12 years in 152 general education K-5 classrooms. General linear models were used to compare how age, classroom size, gender, baseline connectivity, diagnosis, and intelligence quotient predicted changes in social connectivity (closeness). Gender and classroom size had a unique interaction in predicting final social connectivity and the change in connectivity for children with autism spectrum disorder; boys who were placed in larger classrooms showed increased social network fragmentation. This increased fragmentation for boys when placed in larger classrooms was not seen in typically developing boys. These results have implications regarding placement, intervention objectives, and ongoing school support that aimed to increase the social success of children with autism spectrum disorder in public schools.
尽管患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童经常被纳入主流课堂，但与发育正常的儿童相比，他们的社交网络如何变化，以及预测这种变化的因素是否可能独特，目前尚不清楚。本研究使用社交网络分析确定并比较了患有和未患有自闭症谱系障碍儿童社交连通性的预测因素。参与者包括182名患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童和152名未患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童，他们年龄在5至12岁，来自152个普通教育K-5年级的班级。使用一般线性模型来比较年龄、班级规模、性别、基线连通性、诊断和智商如何预测社交连通性（亲密性）的变化。性别和班级规模在预测自闭症谱系障碍儿童的最终社交连通性和连通性变化方面存在独特的相互作用；被安排在较大班级的男孩社交网络碎片化程度增加。在发育正常的男孩中，未观察到被安排在较大班级时男孩的这种碎片化增加情况。这些结果对旨在提高公立学校自闭症谱系障碍儿童社交成功率的安置、干预目标和持续的学校支持具有启示意义。
