Descriptors of Friendship Between Secondary Students With and Without Autism or Intellectual and Developmental Disability

Abstract

This article reports findings from an interpretevist, qualitative study exploring the connections and dynamics of friendship among three groups of secondary school-aged young adults. Each group included an individual with autism or intellectual and developmental disabilities who had extensive or pervasive support needs, and at least one high school student without disabilities. Data were collected through naturalistic observation and semi-structured interviews of the friends in two public high schools and one after-school dance program. Data were analyzed inductively to examine how the students enacted their friendships on a daily basis and how they made meaning of their friendships practically and conceptually. The thematic findings included (a) excitement and motivation, (b) shared humor, (c) normalized supports, (d) mutual benefits, and (e) differing conceptions of friendships. Implications of the findings, including descriptors of friendship and a broader conceptualization of reciprocity, are discussed.

Perceptions of friendship among adolescents with autism spectrum conditions in a mainstream high school resource provision

“…The rural nature of the school, as well as the specialist resource provision meant that the participating students had to travel further than many of their peers, and this may have had an impact on the students' perceived ability to see friends outside school. However, the findings in this study are also broadly similar to those in urban contexts (e.g., Calder, Hill, & Pellicano, 2013;Rossetti, 2015), suggesting that the rurality and distance may not have been salient factors.…”

Adolescents with Disabilities

“…Thus, it is important to understand descriptors, development, and processes of friendships among individuals with disabilities. Adolescents with disabilities and their friends identity five descriptors for their friendships: (a) excitement and motivation, (b) shared humor, (c) normalized supports, (d) mutual benefits, and (e) differing conceptions of friendships (Rossetti 2015). Additionally, there are five aspects that relate to the formation of positive peer relationships: (a) perceived similarity in interests and ability, (b) the role of the adolescent without disabilities in the relationship, (c) amount of time spent together, (d) peer reactions towards students with disabilities, and (e) adult behavior towards students with disabilities (Kalymon et al 2010).…”

Experiences of Friendships for Individuals on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review

“…Autistic individuals defined friendship based on proximity (Calder et al, 2013;Howard et al, 2006), or developed friendships from family friends, those that they had known for a long time (Daniel & Billingsley, 2010;Rossetti, 2015), had grown up with (Carrington et al, 2003) or had spent a lot of time with (Ryan et al, 2020;Sedgewick et al, 2019). One adolescent in the study by Murphy et al (2017) discussed the notion of slowly building relationships with potential friends "Every morning I say hello to at least all of my friends, and that slowly builds up the trust between us and I find that easier.…”

“…Shared interests and participating in common activities were highlighted by many participants as a key requirement for friendship (Carrington et al, 2003;Daniel & Billingsley, 2010;Howard et al, 2006;Müller et al, 2008;O'Hagan & Hebron, 2017;Rossetti, 2015;Ryan et al, 2020;Sedgewick et al, 2016;Sosnowy et al, 2019;Vine Foggo & Webster, 2017), with relationships formed on shared interests facilitating a sense of belonging. Children reported picking eligible friends by exploring whether they appeared to share similar interests (Daniel & Billingsley, 2010).…”

“…The major benefits of having friends, mentioned by many adolescent participants, are the supports offered, including emotional supports (Howard et al, 2006;Murphy et al, 2017;Myles et al, 2019;Rossetti, 2015;Sedgewick et al, 2019;Vine Foggo & Webster, 2017), social supports (Crompton et al, 2020;Sedgewick et al, 2019) and practical supports (Rossetti, 2015;Sedgewick et al, 2019). Some participants suggested that friendship provided a sense of belonging, overall happiness in schools and feelings of social security (Myles et al, 2019;Rossetti, 2015).…”