Loneliness in daily life: A comparison between youths with autism spectrum disorders and 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS).
Autistic youth feel ordinary day-to-day loneliness but carry a heavier story of being alone—target the story, not just the social skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Clémence et al. (2024) asked teens and young adults to carry a phone for one week.
The phone beeped at random times and asked, “Do you feel lonely right now?”
They compared three groups: autistic youth, youth with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, and neurotypical peers.
Each person also filled out a one-time survey about how lonely they usually feel.
What they found
Day-to-day loneliness was the same in all three groups.
Autistic youth, however, scored higher on the “trait” survey— they saw themselves as lonelier in general.
Both neurodivergent groups said they liked being alone more than the neurotypical group did.
How this fits with other research
Chen et al. (2026) used the same beeping-phone method with younger autistic kids.
They found that stronger mind-reading skills led to more peer contact but also to spikes of real-time social anxiety.
Together the two papers show that being with peers can feel risky even when kids know how to engage.
Lemons et al. (2015) looked at youth who had lost their ASD diagnosis.
These “optimal-outcome” kids were rated as likable as typical peers, seeming to contradict the high trait loneliness found by Clémence et al.
The difference is population: the 2015 study removed kids with ongoing social problems, while the 2024 study kept them in.
Why it matters
You can stop assuming that every autistic client is lonely in the moment.
Instead, check how they view their social self over time.
Add self-esteem and self-compassion targets to social-skills groups.
Teach coping statements for the anxiety that can follow successful peer contact.
These steps may lower the “trait” loneliness that shows up even when friends are near.
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Start each group by asking clients to rate their “lonely right now” and “lonely in general” on 1-5 scales; use the gap to guide self-talk practice.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Loneliness is a negative emotional experience that can stem from a gap between desires and the reality of social relationships. It is also a predictor of mental health. Loneliness is therefore important to investigate in neurodevelopmental populations known for having difficulties in the social sphere. This co-registered study involved 48 youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), 54 youths with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) and 65 typically developing youths (TD) aged 12-30. State loneliness was assessed with an ecological momentary assessment. Paper-pencil questionnaires assessing attitude toward aloneness, trait loneliness, and mental health, were completed by the youths and their caregivers. A comparable level of state loneliness between clinical groups and TD were found, with greater loneliness when alone than in a social context. Clinical groups showed a greater intra-individual variability. Both individuals with ASD and 22q11DS revealed a greater affinity toward being alone than TD, but only individuals with ASD reported greater trait loneliness. However, no significant association was found between attitude toward aloneness, trait and state loneliness. Emotional reactivity to loneliness was different between the clinical groups. Self-reported mental health only was associated with loneliness in the clinical groups. These results provide new insights into the understanding of loneliness in these clinical populations and have an impact on clinical care by highlighting the need to remain vigilant when encountering youths who report feeling lonely, and that these youths need to be supported in developing their social network, which appears to be a protective factor against loneliness.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2024 · doi:10.1002/aur.3173