Making and Maintaining Friendships on the Autism Spectrum
Open Access
Author:
Nahmod, Nicole Grace
Area of Honors:
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Erinn Heer Finke, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Ingrid Maria Blood, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Autism ASD Friendship Autism Spectrum Disorders Friends parents children with ASD making friends maintaining friends
Abstract:
Qualitative interview methodology was used to investigate how children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) make and maintain friendships. Children with ASD (n=16) between ages 8 and 13 years were interviewed as well as parents of children with ASD (n=13). Children were asked how to make and maintain friendships and also how many friends they have. Parents were asked to report how many friends their child with ASD has in addition to their satisfaction with the quantity and quality of their child’s friendships. Results of parent interviews indicate that parents of children with ASD are dissatisfied with the quality of friendships their children have. Results of child with ASD interviews indicate that children with ASD know the steps to make and maintain friendships. This suggests that children with ASD have difficulty generalizing the skills to make and maintain high-quality friendships in social settings.
