Paraeducators' Roles in Facilitating Friendships between Secondary Students with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders or Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

In the cafeteria at East High School the two larger, circular tables to the left were apparently the tables informally designated for the students labeled with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Joshua sat in his wheelchair at one of the tables with another young man in a wheelchair, one male student and one female student each with Down syndrome, and three other students. Two paraeducators sat at the next table over watching the students closely. The nearest students without disabilities were a few tables away. There seemed to be a barrier of empty or mostly empty tables between the two groups of students. Stephanie was the only student without a disability to venture close to the tables, high-fiving Joshua and telling him that she would see him after her next class. The students labeled with intellectual and developmental disabilities had all finished their lunches and waited quietly for the bell. The other students moved constantly, throwing food, laughing, smiling, and running by in pairs or small groups.Stephanie later explained this apparent divide:

The Experience of Transitioning Two Adolescents With Asperger Syndrome in Academically Focused High Schools

“…Students with AS may find transition to secondary settings particularly difficult as some of the characteristics of AS become more visible (Barnhill, 2004), due in part as a response to having to navigate a larger environment, but more so exacerbated by the organisational features of secondary schools (Adreon & Stella, 2001). These features may include students having their own lockers, having different teachers for different subjects, and moving to different rooms throughout the day (Rossetti & Goessling, 2010). All of these organisational/physical features may also affect social factors, such as the student with AS finding the correct material for the next class, finding his or her way around the school, interacting appropriately with other staff and students in the interim period, depending upon the social situation.…”

Peer Interactions and Friendship Opportunities Between Elementary Students With and Without Autism or Developmental Disability

“…Friendship facilitation is effective when individualized to each student's strengths, needs, interests, and social context (Rossetti & Goessling, 2010), though some general strategies have been identified as successful. Turnbull, Pereira, and Blue-Banning (1999) describe a facilitation framework based on Schaffner and Buswell's (1992) work that includes a foundation of unconditional acceptance of the child with disabilities and three general facilitation strategies: (a) creating opportunities for interactions, (b) making interpretations (of the child with disabilities to others), and (c) making accommodations (for the child with disabilities to participate with others).…”