Download PDF
Semin Speech Lang 2018; 39(02): 166-177
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1628368
Review Article
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Relationships, Friendships, and Successful Social Communication: Addressing Disability

Amy L. Donaldson
1   Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
,
Mariella Nolfo
2   Crook County School District, Prineville, Oregon
,
Marissa Montejano
3   Portland State University, Portland, Oregon
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
20 March 2018 (online)

    Permissions and Reprints

Abstract

Children with autism may perceive friendship in a qualitatively different manner than their neurotypical peers. Yet, these friendships have been reported as satisfying to the child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although many studies have identified lower quality of friendship in ASD, reduced reciprocity, and increased loneliness and depression, perhaps it is time to take a closer look at the perspective of autistic individuals and to identify how the broader community influences development of relationships and friendship. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning framework aligns well with a social model of disability lens, which states that although individuals may be challenged by their health impairment, disability is created by barriers to access, agency, and independence in society. This article discusses how clinicians might examine ways to address disability within the home, school, and community to create opportunities for relationship and friendship development, while considering the definition of friendship from multiple perspectives.

Keywords

Autism - social communication - social model of disability - friendship - relationship
 

  • References

  • 1 Bauminger N, Shulman C. The development and maintenance of friendship in high-functioning children with autism: maternal perceptions. Autism 2003; 7 (01) 81-97
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 Locke J, Ishijima EH, Kasari C, London N. Loneliness, friendship quality and the social networks of adolescents with high-functioning autism in an inclusive school setting. J Res Spec Educ Needs 2010; 10: 74-81
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Petrina N, Carter M, Stephenson J, Sweller N. Perceived friendship quality of children with autism spectrum disorder as compared to their peers in mixed and non-mixed dyads. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46 (04) 1334-1343
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 4 Bauminger N, Shulman C, Agam G. Peer interaction and loneliness in high-functioning children with autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2003; 33 (05) 489-507
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 5 Symes W, Humphrey N. Peer-group indicators of social inclusion among pupils with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in mainstream secondary schools: a comparative study. Sch Psychol Int 2010; 31: 478-494
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 6 Petrina N, Carter M, Stephenson J, Sweller N. Friendship satisfaction in children with autism spectrum disorder and nominated friends. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47 (02) 384-392
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 7 Calder L, Hill V, Pellicano E. “Sometimes I want to play by myself”: understanding what friendship means to children with autism in mainstream primary schools. Autism 2013; 17 (03) 296-316
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 8 Lord C, Risi S, Lambrecht L. , et al. The autism diagnostic observation schedule-generic: a standard measure of social and communication deficits associated with the spectrum of autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2000; 30 (03) 205-223
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 9 Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Identify-first language. Available at: http://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/identity-first-language/ . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 10 Raymaker D, Nicolaidis C. (2013). Participatory Research in Autistic Communities: Shifting the System. In: Davidson J, Orsini M. , eds. Worlds of Autism. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press; 2013: 169-188
    CrossrefGoogle Scholar
  • 11 World Health Organization. Towards a Common Language for Functioning, Disability and Health: ICF. Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization; 2002. . Available at: http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/icfbeginnersguide.pdf?ua=1 . Accessed February 5, 2018
    Google Scholar
  • 12 Thomas C. How is disability understood? An examination of sociological approaches. Disabil Soc 2004; 19 (06) 569-583
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 13 World Health Organization. ICF Checklist 2003. Available at: http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/icfchecklist.pdf?ua=1 . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 14 National Professional Development Center. Available at: http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/ . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMed
  • 15 National Autism Center. Findings and Conclusions: National Standards Project, Phase 2. Randolph, MA: National Autism Center; 2015
    Google Scholar
  • 16 Finke EH. Friendship: operationalizing the intangible to improve friendship-based outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2016; 25 (04) 654-663
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 17 Finkelstein V. The social model of disability repossessed. The Disability Studies Archive UK, Centre for Disability Studies. Leeds, UK: University of Leeds; 2001
    Google Scholar
  • 18 Sarrett JC. Biocertification and neurodiversity: the role and implications of self-diagnosis in autistic communities. Neuroethics 2016; 9: 23-36
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 19 Straus J. Autism and postwar serialism as neurodiverse forms of cultural modernism. In: Howe B, Jensen-Moulton S, Lerner N, Straus J. , eds. The Oxford Handbook of Music and Disability Studies. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press; 2016: 684-706
    Google Scholar
  • 20 Kapp SK, Gillespie-Lynch K, Sherman LE, Hutman T. Deficit, difference, or both? Autism and neurodiversity. Dev Psychol 2013; 49 (01) 59-71
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 21 Mendelson JL, Gates JA, Lerner MD. Friendship in school-age boys with autism spectrum disorders: a meta-analytic summary and developmental, process-based model. Psychol Bull 2016; 142 (06) 601-622
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 22 Chamberlain B, Kasari C, Rotheram-Fuller E. Involvement or isolation? The social networks of children with autism in regular classrooms. J Autism Dev Disord 2007; 37 (02) 230-242
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 23 Fries K. The Fries Test: on disability representation in our culture. Medium. November 2017. Available at: https://medium.com/@kennyfries/the-fries-test-on-disability-representation-in-our-culture-9d1bad72cc00 . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 24 Taheri A, Perry A, Minnes P. Examining the social participation of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder in relation to peers. J Intellect Disabil Res 2016; 60 (05) 435-443
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 25 Autism Self Advocacy Network. About autism. Available at: http://autisticadvocacy.org/about-asan/about-autism/ . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMed
  • 26 AMC. Sensory Friendly Films. Available at: https://www.amctheatres.com/programs/sensory-friendly-films . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMed
  • 27 Del Valle L. Stores offer quite shopping for families of kids with autism. CNN. December 9, 2016. Available at: http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/09/health/sensory-friendly-shopping/index.html . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 28 Bohnert A, Lieb R, Arola N. More than leisure: organized activity participation and socio-emotional adjustment among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2783-8.
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 29 National Autistic Society. Supporting autistic people with sport and physical activity. Available at: http://www.autism.org.uk/professionals/others/activity-sports.aspx
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 30 Mazurek MO, Engelhardt CR. Video game use in boys with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, or typical development. Pediatrics 2013; 132 (02) 260-266
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 31 Mazurek MO, Shattuck PT, Wagner M, Cooper BP. Prevalence and correlates of screen-based media use among youths with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2012; 42 (08) 1757-1767
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 32 Mazurek MO, Engelhardt CR, Clark KE. Video games from the perspective of adults with autism spectrum disorder. Comput Human Behav 2015; 15: 122-130
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 33 Sam A. AFIRM Team. Peer-mediated instruction and intervention. Chapel Hill, NC: National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, FPG Child Development Center, University of North Carolina; 2015
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 34 Kasari C, Rotheram-Fuller E, Locke J, Gulsrud A. Making the connection: randomized controlled trial of social skills at school for children with autism spectrum disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2012; 53 (04) 431-439
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 35 Donaldson AL. Pre-professional training for serving children with ASD: an apprenticeship model of supervision. Teach Educ Spec Educ 2015; 38 (01) 58-70
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 36 Donaldson AL. Siblings of children with ASD: promoting social communication. Perspect Lang Learn Educ 2015; 22: 31-38
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 37 Ferraioli SJ, Harris SL. Teaching joint attention to children with autism through sibling-mediated behavioral intervention. Behav Interv 2011; 26: 261-281
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 38 Walton KM, Ingersoll BR. Evaluation of a sibling-mediated intervention for young children with autism. J Posit Behav Interv 2012; 14 (04) 1-18
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 39 Bank SP, Kahn MD. The Sibling Bond. New York, NY: Basic Books; 1997
    Google Scholar
  • 40 Cicirelli VG. Sibling Relationships across the Lifespan. New York, NY: Plenum Press; 1995
    Google Scholar
  • 41 Tager-Flusberg H, Kasari C. Minimally verbal school-aged children with autism spectrum disorder: the neglected end of the spectrum. Autism Res 2013; 6 (06) 468-478
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 42 Anderson DK, Lord C, Risi S. , et al. Patterns of growth in verbal abilities among children with autism spectrum disorder. J Consult Clin Psychol 2007; 75 (04) 594-604
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 43 Yee T, Magill-Evans J, Zwaigenbaum L, Sacrey LA R, Askari S, Anaby D. Participation measures for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder: a scoping review. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders 2017; 4 (02) 132-141
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 44 Howlin P, Mawhood L, Rutter M. Autism and developmental receptive language disorder--a follow-up comparison in early adult life. II: Social, behavioural, and psychiatric outcomes. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2000; 41 (05) 561-578
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 45 Venter A, Lord C, Schopler E. A follow-up study of high-functioning autistic children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1992; 33 (03) 489-507
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 46 Soukup JH, Wehmeyer ML, Bashinski SM, Bovaird JA. Classroom variables and access to the general curriculum for students with disabilities. Except Child 2007; 74 (01) 101-120
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 47 Chung YC, Carter EW, Sisco LG. Social interactions of students with disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication in inclusive classrooms. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 2012; 117 (05) 349-367
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 48 Beukelman D, Mirenda P. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Supporting Children and Adults with Complex Communication Needs. 4th ed. Baltimore, MD: Paul H Brookes Publishing Co; 2012
    Google Scholar
  • 49 Ganz JB. AAC interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorders: state of the science and future research directions. Augment Altern Commun 2015; 31 (03) 203-214
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 50 Almirall D, DiStefano C, Chang YC. , et al. Longitudinal effects of adaptive interventions with a speech-generating device in minimally verbal children with ASD. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2016; 45 (04) 442-456
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 51 Wright CA, Quinn ED. Family-centered implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication systems in early intervention. Perspect ASHA Spec Interest Groups 2016; 1 (01) 168-174
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 52 Light JC, Drager KD. Improving the design of augmentative and alternative technologies for young children. Assist Technol 2002; 14 (01) 17-32
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 53 DiStefano C, Shih W, Kaiser A, Landa R, Kasari C. Communication growth in minimally verbal children with ASD: the importance of interaction. Autism Res 2016; 9 (10) 1093-1102
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 54 Kasari C, Brady N, Lord C, Tager-Flusberg H. Assessing the minimally verbal school-aged child with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2013; 6 (06) 479-493
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 55 Sennott SC, Light JC, McNaughton D. AAC modeling intervention research review. Res Pract Persons Severe Disabl 2016; 41 (02) 101-115
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 56 Drager KDR, Postal VJ, Carrolus L, Castellano M, Gagliano C, Glynn J. The effect of aided language modeling on symbol comprehension and production in 2 preschoolers with autism. Am J Speech Lang Pathol 2006; 15 (02) 112-125
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 57 Trottier N, Kamp L, Mirenda P. Effects of peer-mediated instruction to teach use of speech-generating devices to students with autism in social game routines. Augment Altern Commun 2011; 27 (01) 26-39
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 58 Biggs EE, Carter EW, Gustafson J. Efficacy of peer support arrangements to increase peer interaction and AAC use. Am J Intellect Dev Disabil 2017; 122 (01) 25-48
    CrossrefPubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 59 Endow J. Autism and friendship. Aspects of Autism Translated. March 28, 2016. Available at: http://www.judyendow.com/advocacy/autism-and-friendship . Accessed February 5, 2018
    PubMedGoogle Scholar