Fox Laura, Asbury Kathryn
University of York, York, UK.
Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2024 Sep 5;9:23969415241275934. doi: 10.1177/23969415241275934. eCollection 2024 Jan-Dec.
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.
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.
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.
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.
自闭症儿童在建立和维持友谊方面可能会面临挑战，而童年中期（6至12岁）可能尤其具有挑战性，因为社交网络变得更加复杂。然而，对这些经历的大量研究是基于成人报告或侧重于青少年的经历，这意味着年幼儿童的声音被忽视了。由于年幼儿童被排除在研究之外，我们对他们友谊的第一手经历以及他们所获得的支持了解有限，这对友谊支持和幸福感有影响。本研究旨在放大年幼儿童自闭症患者的声音，以探索他们友谊的第一手经历，并突出对小学年龄段自闭症儿童可能最有益的社会支持领域。
本研究采用新颖的创造性方法，支持对19名小学年龄段自闭症儿童进行访谈，以探索他们的友谊经历。由家长主导的访谈和剪贴簿帮助孩子们讨论他们友谊中的挑战和优势。
孩子们讨论了他们友谊中的挑战和优势，包括社会规范对交友需求的影响以及他们在这一生活领域的支持需求。孩子们还讨论了他们目前友谊中的差距以及他们希望如何填补这些差距。很明显，并非所有孩子都需要或想要典型神经发育模式的友谊，许多孩子更看重陪伴和游戏而不是亲密关系。分析突出了自闭症儿童友谊的异质性，特别是在性别和年龄方面，这需要更有针对性和个性化的支持。
本研究结果表明，自闭症儿童能够并且确实拥有成功的友谊，但这些友谊可能与非自闭症同龄人不同。该研究进一步丰富了现有文献，表明通过使用差异化、可及且有创造性的方法，可以将年幼儿童自闭症患者纳入研究，并且他们能够就支持相关问题表达自己的意见。它还呼吁在学校采取量身定制的方法来支持自闭症儿童，并与孩子们交流，让他们对自己想要接受的支持拥有自主权。
