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

Black, Melissa H.; Kuźmiński, R; Wang, Jing; Ang, Jessica; Lee, Cheryl; Hafidzuddin, Siti; McGarry, Sarah

doi:10.1007/s40489-022-00332-8

Cited by 21 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…Given that the non-autistic participants were reporting on their autistic partners, and given that interpersonal responsiveness is not a characteristic of autism ( Chan et al, 2017 ; Kanne et al, 2009 ), it is perhaps unsurprising that non-autistic participants’ rating of the autistic partner’s responsiveness was relatively lower. Autistic children, adolescents and adults may experience greater difficulty with forming and maintaining meaningful friendships ( Black et al, 2022 ), which in turn can reduce the number of opportunities to develop the reciprocity and responsiveness important to romantic relationships ( Reitz et al, 2014 ). However, it is important to also consider that high partner responsiveness is a critical feature of long-term relationships involving an autistic person, and that our finding reflects the selection of this partner quality in relationship maintainance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors of relationship satisfaction for autistic and non-autistic partners in long-term relationships

Yew

Hooley

Stokes

2023

Autism

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Autistic individuals have reported lower satisfaction in their romantic relationships compared to non-autistic individuals. Previous research on the factors that contribute to relationship satisfaction within autism has focused on the characteristics of autistic participants as barriers to relationship satisfaction, while overlooking the role of their partners. This study investigated a range of factors and their association with long-term relationship satisfaction for 95 autistic individuals and 65 non-autistic individuals in current or previous long-term relationships with autistic individuals. Participants completed an online survey, including questionnaires measuring autistic traits, the Big Five personality traits, social loneliness, partner responsiveness, sexual satisfaction and relationship satisfaction. Partner responsiveness significantly predicted relationship satisfaction for both autistic and non-autistic partners. The findings suggest that to enhance relationship satisfaction, service providers working with couples involving an autistic individual would improve the relationship by focusing on assisting their clients to identify each other’s needs and how best to meet them. Lay abstract Previous research has found that autistic people report lower satisfaction in their romantic relationships compared to non-autistic people. However, the majority of this research has focused on autistic traits as barriers to relationship satisfaction, while overlooking the role of their partners in these relationships. Our study explored a range of factors in both autistic people and non-autistic partners of autistic people and how they may be linked to long-term relationship satisfaction. These factors included social and communication skills, personality traits, social loneliness, partner responsiveness, and sexual satisfaction. We found that partner responsiveness was a strong predictor of relationship satisfaction for both autistic and non-autistic partners, suggesting that rather than focusing intervention solely on the autistic person, the role of their partner should also be considered. Service providers who work with couples involving an autistic person to enhance their relationship satisfaction could focus on assisting their clients to identify each other’s needs and how best to meet them.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors of relationship satisfaction for autistic and non-autistic partners in long-term relationships

Yew

Hooley

Stokes

2023

Autism

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“…All of this inculcates a sense of belonging that seems to be a key element in human quality of life [26]. A review of 22 studies that investigated the issue of friendships by listening to the experiences of mostly youth with autism identified what friendships meant to them and their experiences of them, including the challenges and fears they had encountered [27].…”

Section: Encouraging Social Connections Developing Friendships and Re...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Nurturing the Positive Mental Health of Autistic Children, Adolescents and Adults alongside That of Their Family Care-Givers: A Review of Reviews

McConkey

2023

Brain Sciences

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The rising prevalence of autism internationally has been accompanied by an increased appreciation of the poorer mental health experienced by people with this condition and also of their family care-givers. In particular, higher incidences of anxiety and depression are reported in high-income nations and these conditions are likely to be under-recognised and under-reported in lower-resourced regions or countries. Mainstream mental health services seem to be ill-equipped to respond adequately to the needs of autistic persons and their care-givers. This literature review of 29 recently published reviews covering nearly 1000 journal articles summarises the insights and strategies that have been shown to promote the mental health and emotional wellbeing of autistic persons. In particular, a focus on family-centred, community-based supports is recommended that aim to enhance social communication, extend social connections and promote an individual’s self-esteem, self-determination and social motivation. These low-cost interventions are especially pertinent in low-resourced settings, but they can be used internationally to prevent mental illness and assist in the treatment of anxiety and depression in autistic persons and their family carers. The priority is to focus on primary-care responses with cross-sectoral working rather than investing in high-cost psychiatric provision.

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“…For example, while some autistic people may prefer to interact with other autistic people ( 23 ), interactions with neurotypical people are inevitable at places like school and work. Thus, while young autistic people do report wanting and having friends, they also report difficulty trying to navigate neurotypical social norms, which can lead to feeling the need to change themselves in order to “pass” at being neurotypical ( 24 , 25 ). Other research has found that young autistic people report experiencing neglect, rejection, and scorn at school ( 26 ), and are at high risk for bullying victimization ( 27 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A dual design thinking – universal design approach to catalyze neurodiversity advocacy through collaboration among high-schoolers

Schuck,

Fung

2024

Front. Psychiatry

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IntroductionNeurodiversity describes the fact that humans all have different brains with unique qualities that contribute to society. Though understanding of neurodiversity is gaining traction among the general public, there remains considerable stigma and prejudice toward neurodiverse people. One way to combat these issues is to teach individuals about neurodiversity and encourage them to develop advocacy skills. Development of such knowledge is especially important for adolescents, as they have the capacity to make small (e.g., interpersonal interactions) and large (e.g., school-wide) impacts.MethodsEighty-nine high schoolers participated in a two-week virtual summer camp in 2022; research consent/assent was obtained from 19 (11 neurodiverse/neurodivergent). Campers learned about neurodiversity, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), and Design Thinking (DT) through lectures from researchers and neurodivergent people, as well as group activities and discussions. Campers worked in small groups to design a neurodiversity advocacy project based on the principles of UDL and DT. Each group was facilitated by camp counselors–some of whom were neurodiverse–who were all committed to neurodiversity advocacy. Participants completed questionnaires about autism, ADHD, and dyslexia pre- and post-camp. Some also completed optional post-camp interviews.ResultsPre-camp stigma toward neurodiverse conditions was generally low. However, autism stigma was significantly higher than dyslexia stigma (Z = −2.24, p = 0.025). After camp, autism stigma decreased (Z = −2.98, p = 0.003;) and autism [t(13) = 3.17, p = 0.007] and ADHD [t(13) = 2.87, p = 0.013] knowledge improved. There were no significant changes in ADHD or dyslexia stigma or dyslexia knowledge. Participants reported enjoying collaborating with other campers and learning about UDL and DT. Thematic analysis of interviews generated four themes: Increased Understanding of Neurodiversity; Increasing Empathy and Becoming Less Judgmental; Creating a Neurodiverse Community; and More Awareness is Needed.DiscussionThis pilot investigation suggests that a virtual summer camp can be effective in improving attitudes toward and knowledge of neurodiversity. Qualitative analysis indicated participants became more accepting after the camp, both in terms of being less judgmental toward neurodiverse people and more self-accepting among neurodivergent campers. Future research should investigate the long-term effects of such a program, particularly with diverse samples of students.

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

Cited by 21 publications

References 78 publications

Factors of relationship satisfaction for autistic and non-autistic partners in long-term relationships

Factors of relationship satisfaction for autistic and non-autistic partners in long-term relationships

Nurturing the Positive Mental Health of Autistic Children, Adolescents and Adults alongside That of Their Family Care-Givers: A Review of Reviews

A dual design thinking – universal design approach to catalyze neurodiversity advocacy through collaboration among high-schoolers

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