School participation in autistic girls and boys: The role of social-communication abilities and extrinsic barriers.
Social-communication skill plus a friendly school space drives autistic students’ participation, with girls and youth with ID needing extra supports.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Lacroix et al. (2026) sent a one-time survey to autistic students, parents, and teachers. They asked how often the student joins class talks, clubs, and sports. They also asked about social-communication skills and outside barriers like noise or bullying.
The team looked at whether girls, boys, and youth with intellectual disability face different hurdles.
What they found
Students with weaker social-communication skills joined school life less often. Girls and students with intellectual disability hit extra walls such as stricter rules and more teasing.
The study says: fix the social skill gap and the school space itself.
How this fits with other research
Menezes et al. (2021) reviewed 18 studies and found social-skills classes in regular classrooms work when peers join. Adeline’s survey shows the same skill gap matters in real school life, so the two papers line up.
Marsh et al. (2017) warned that behavioral programs help class work but not social inclusion. Adeline adds the missing piece: even with good work habits, social-communication weakness and outside barriers still block full participation.
van Timmeren et al. (2016) showed kids with autism plus intellectual disability have the fewest friendships. Adeline repeats that finding inside schools and adds that girls face extra rules, extending the earlier picture.
Why it matters
You can write two goals in the IEP: grow social-communication skills and cut outside barriers. Use peer-mediated social groups, teach joining-in scripts, and ask the teacher to lower noise, seat the student near friends, and stop bullying fast. Watch girls and students with ID extra closely—they may need louder voices at the planning table.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Add one peer buddy to lunch and recess and teach both students a three-step greeting script.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study aimed to offer a depiction and comprehensive understanding of school participation in autistic youth, which has received limited exploration. Parents of 871 autistic youth aged 7 or 15 were invited to participate in a study, among whom 600 agreed, allowing data collection on diagnosis, comorbidities, school, professional support, and parental characteristics. They were asked to fill in questionnaires assessing executive functions, social-communication difficulties, and school participation, completed by 241. Structural equation modeling and descriptive methods were employed to examine factors influencing school participation and the desire for change. Social-communication abilities stand out as the sole intrinsic determinant associated with school participation. Being a female and having an intellectual disability might negatively impact mainstream school attendance, without exerting a similar influence on activity attendance and involvement. Caregivers identified school demands and the sensory environment as extrinsic barriers to school participation, while teachers' attitudes and peer relationships were seen as both potential barriers and facilitators. Finally, 36%-58% indicated a desire for increased participation in at least one school activity. Our findings highlight the need to reduce stigma around autism, improve school support, and give special consideration to the schooling experiences of autistic girls.Lay AbstractSchool participation factors in autism have received limited attention. We examined this question using structural equation modeling and descriptive methods. Our findings indicate that heightened social-communication difficulties, rather than executive dysfunctions and comorbidities, are associated with decreased school participation of autistic youths. Furthermore, exploratory analyses showed that being female and having an intellectual disability negatively affect attending mainstream school for autistic children and teenagers, but not their attendance and involvement in school activities. Caregivers point out school demands, sensory environment, and teachers' and peers' attitudes as major factors affecting participation, often expressing a desire for increased participation for their child. These results hold significant implications for improving educational environments for autistic girls and boys.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2026 · doi:10.1177/13623613261428668