The Physiological and Psychological Effects of Ostracism in Adults with ASD.
Adults with autism may show clear body signs of rejection even when they say they are fine.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Trimmer et al. (2017) asked adults with autism to play an online ball-toss game.
Unknown to them, the other players were fake and soon left them out.
The team tracked heart rate and asked how the adults felt before and after.
What they found
The adults’ hearts sped up, showing their bodies knew they were left out.
Yet when asked, they rated the game as no big deal.
Their bodies reacted, but their words stayed flat.
How this fits with other research
Sebastian et al. (2009) saw the same split in teens: mood stayed steady while anxiety rose.
van den Broek et al. (2006) first noticed blunted heart-rate jumps in autistic adults under speech stress; Emily’s team shows the pattern holds for social exclusion too.
Ben Hassen et al. (2023) link the mismatch to weak interoception—many autistic adults simply feel their body signals less.
Together these papers say: check the body, not just the mouth, to spot social pain.
Why it matters
If you only ask, “Are you upset?” you may miss real stress. Watch for flushed skin, faster breathing, or restless fingers after peer rejection. Pair your question with a quick pulse check or teach clients to use a simple body chart. This gives you honest data and guides calmer next steps.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Whilst some form of ostracism is experienced by most people at some point in their lives, it is experienced far more often in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Little is known about how this social exclusion is interpreted, experienced or managed. This study aimed to explore the psychological (mood and social needs) as well as the physiological (arousal) effects of ostracism using a well-established paradigm, Cyberball. Results demonstrated no differences between groups on social needs, however, mood was rated as more negatively by ASDs overall. Arousal was increased in when excluded compared with when excluded for ASDs, but not for controls. Overall, individuals with ASD experienced heightened physiological arousal but whilst these individuals reported overall lower mood, this response to ostracism was not expressed as emotionally significant to these individuals, suggesting possible interoceptive difficulties in this population. This highlights the need for both understanding in non-ASD individuals and intervention of this emotional distress in individuals with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3146-9