Friendship Expectations May be Similar for Mental Age-Matched Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typically Developing Children.

The team asked 60 elementary students about friendship. Half had autism, half were typical. All kids were matched by mental age, not calendar age.

Each child filled out a simple picture survey. They rated how important things like sharing and kindness are in a friend.

Kids with autism wanted the same things in friends as typical kids. Both groups said being reliable and kind mattered most.

The autism group cared even more about showing care. Only in the autism group did higher expectations link to better real friendships.

Ewing et al. (2015) found kids with autism ignore trustworthy faces when deciding who to trust. This seems opposite, but it isn't. The new study shows kids with autism know what good friendship looks like. The older study shows they miss facial cues when judging strangers.

Deserno et al. (2017) taught kids with autism to talk about feelings. That skill helps turn friendship expectations into real conversations.

Worsham et al. (2015) proved autistic kids can describe their inner world when asked the right way. Kristen used simple surveys to do the same for friendship hopes.

Your students with autism already know what good friends do. They just need help showing it. Teach reliability and kindness as concrete behaviors. Model sharing a snack, keeping a promise, or saying "you okay?" after a fall. Track if these acts lead to better friendships over time.