Relations among activity participation, friendship, and internalizing problems in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Signing kids with autism up for any structured peer hobby or sport links to having more friends.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked kids with autism about their hobbies, sports, and clubs. They also counted how many friends each child named.
They held IQ steady to be sure smartness was not the hidden reason for any link.
What they found
Kids who joined more structured peer activities also listed more friends. The link stayed strong even after IQ was taken out.
How this fits with other research
Jean-Arwert et al. (2020) shows boys with autism get only half the daily physical activity of typical peers. Reyes et al. (2019) still finds friendship gains from sports, clubs, and hobbies. The gap is about variety, not intensity.
Lin et al. (2026) used a whole-country registry and saw that speech and caregiver help, not leg strength, decide who joins activities. Reyes et al. (2019) echoes this: social supports matter more than motor skills.
Berkovits et al. (2017) moved the lens to adults. More leisure activities softened life stress for autistic grown-ups. The benefit of staying active seems to stretch across the lifespan.
Why it matters
You do not need to fix fitness first. Enroll the child in any structured peer setting they enjoy—Lego club, chess, karate, or choir. More activity slots equal more chances for friendships to form. Ask parents what hobbies excite the child, then help them sign up this week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Social interaction difficulties in children with autism spectrum disorder can be challenging, especially during adolescence. In addition, high rates of comorbid internalizing disorders in autism spectrum disorder can lead to social isolation. With limited social activity participation, social deficits and internalizing problems in autism spectrum disorder may be related to participation, exposure, and practice with friends. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relations among friendship, activity participation, and internalizing problems. Participants included 129 children with autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 6 and 18 years. Measures of friendship, sport, hobby, and club participation, and internalizing problems were assessed. Results showed that activity participation was related to more friendships, even after controlling for intelligence quotient. This study sheds light on the impact of social engagement with peers in developing and maintaining friendships as well as managing internalizing problems.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361318775541