Friendship Satisfaction in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Nominated Friends.
Friendships of kids with autism feel as satisfying to them as to their friends—so trust their picks and use those bonds in therapy.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Petrina et al. (2017) asked kids with autism to name a close friend.
The team then gave both children a short survey about how happy they felt in that friendship.
Some friends were typical peers; others also had autism.
What they found
Both sides gave the friendship the same high happiness score.
The match stayed strong no matter who the friend was.
Kids with autism can feel just as good about their buddies as typical kids do.
How this fits with other research
Granieri et al. (2020) looked at adults and saw a twist. Autistic adults liked talking to other autistic adults, but typical partners still rated them poorly.
The adult study seems to clash with the kid data, yet the difference is age and setting. Children answered a quiet survey; adults chatted in a lab where social rules are stricter.
Knott et al. (2006) showed parents often see more social trouble than their kids report. Neysa’s paper keeps the child’s voice front and center, proving the child’s view can line up perfectly with a peer’s.
Why it matters
If a child with autism says the friendship feels good, believe them. Use that bond as the base for social-skills goals. Pair learners with friends they pick, whether typical or autistic, and build sessions around shared joy rather than adult-chosen matches.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The current study examined the level of friendship satisfaction of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their nominated friends (with and without diagnosis of ASD). A total of 77 target children with ASD and friends from 49 nominated friendships participated in the study. Relatively high levels of friendship satisfaction were reported by both target children and their nominated friends with no overall difference between dyads involving typically developing friends and friends with ASD. Analysis at the individual dyad level showed a high level of agreement on the reported level of satisfaction across the target participants and their friends. Limitations and directions for future research are presented.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-016-2970-7