Predicting peer acceptance and peer rejection for autistic children

Feldman, Melanie; Hamsho, Narmene; Blacher, Jan; Carter, Alice S.; Eisenhower, Abbey

doi:10.1002/pits.22739

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 123 publications

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“…Future interventions may therefore need to also focus on the development of reciprocal, high-quality friendships among autistic children. It is important to note that autistic children often report being excluded by their non-autistic peers [ 12 , 30 , 63 ]. Non-autistic children have been shown to rate their first impressions of autistic children more negatively than their first impressions of other non-autistic children [ 64 ], and autistic children often attribute peer rejection to personal attributes, such as being “different” or “not approachable” [ 65 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development

et al. 2023

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Background Autistic children have been shown to have less complete definitions of friendships and higher levels of loneliness than their non-autistic peers. However, no known studies have explored sex differences in autistic children’s understanding of friendships and reported loneliness across development. Autistic girls demonstrate higher levels of social motivation than autistic boys and appear to “fit in” with their peers, but they often have difficulty recognizing reciprocal friendships during middle childhood. As autistic girls develop a more complex understanding of friendship during adolescence, they may begin to redefine their friendships and experience heightened loneliness. Here, we explored how autistic and non-autistic boys and girls define the meaning of friendship and report feelings of loneliness across development. We also examined their perceptions of friendships and loneliness. Methods This mixed-methods study analyzed the transcribed clinical evaluations of 58 autistic children (29 girls) matched to 42 non-autistic children (21 girls) on age and IQ. Transcripts were coded for four categories that children used to define friendships—personality, companionship, dependability, and intimacy—and for reported loneliness. We then compared these codes across diagnosis, sex, and age. Content analyses were further implemented to gain a more holistic understanding of children’s perceptions of friendships and loneliness. Results Girls, regardless of diagnosis, were more likely than boys to refer to personality when defining the meaning of friendship, and the likelihood of referring to dependability and intimacy increased with age. Most children reported having at least one friend, though some autistic adolescents reported not having friends or were uncertain whether they had friends. While autistic and non-autistic boys and girls were equally likely to report feeling lonely at times, several autistic girls and boys reported being frequently lonely. Limitations This study was a secondary data analysis. The standardized set of questions on the ADOS limited the amount of information that children provided about their friendships and perceptions of loneliness. Conclusion As with non-autistic children, autistic children acquire a more complex understanding of friendship throughout development. However, as children begin to prioritize dependability and intimacy in friendships, autistic adolescents may have difficulty developing friendships characterized by these constructs. Furthermore, the quantity and/or quality of autistic children’s friendships may not be sufficient to alleviate loneliness.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development

et al. 2023

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“…Such research might also explain lower tendency to predict being liked in autistic adults in the current study, who might have had many years of negative experience till adulthood. Therefore, the lack of response differentiation to unexpected social rejection in autistic adult participants might alternatively indicate a learnt response as a result of continuous negative past experiences through childhood and adolescence, especially peer rejection 45 , in young autistic adults. Moreover, children and adolescents with early life stress have been reported to respond less to social stress, indicated by blunted HR and cortisol activity 46 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autistic Adults Show Transient Cardiac Slowing in Response to Both Social and Non-Social Negative Feedback

Gurbuz,

Riby,

South

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Autistic people frequently experience negative judgements from non-autistic people, often fuelled by misconceptions that autistic people lack empathy. Understanding responses to negative social judgement among autistic people is crucial because of the potential negative impact on wellbeing and future interactions. We investigated behavioural and psychophysiological indices of social rejection in 20 autistic (AUT; 11 males) and 40 non-autistic (N-AUT; 21 males) university students. Participants completed the Social Judgement Task (SJT) where they predicted whether they were liked by another person, then received feedback on whether those evaluations were correct. Participants also completed an Age Judgement Task (AJT) where they estimated the age of the pictured person. The AUT group had lower positive expectation scores, meaning less tendency to predict being liked. The N-AUT group showed a transient cardiac slowing to unexpected social rejection, supporting the role of parasympathetic nervous system in regulating social rejection. In contrast, the AUT group did not differentiate between unexpected social rejection in the SJT and general negative feedback in the AJT. In both groups, higher social anxiety predicted greater tendency to anticipate rejection from others. These findings support Milton’s double empathy theory by showing the role of non-autistic community in the experiences of autistic people.

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“…Bullying, a dynamic process within peer groups, is influenced by peer relationships (Espelage & Swearer, 2010). This study adopts three dimensions to reflect peer relationships: peer acceptance (the extent of liking from peers), peer rejection (the extent of disliking from peers) and social dominance (the ability to control resources) (Feldman et al, 2022; Zhang et al, 2018). Children with higher levels of peer acceptance are less likely to engage in bullying, as they tend to have positive self‐perceptions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying: Evidence from cross‐lagged analyses among Chinese children

Li,

Chu,

Yang

et al. 2024

Child

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BackgroundIn the digital age, bullying manifests in two distinct forms: traditional bullying and cyberbullying. Children's peer relationships are important predictors of bullying, and bullying in turn predicts peer relationships. However, few researchers have noted the bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying.MethodsThe present study used a two‐wave cross‐lagged longitudinal design to fill this gap. The potential sex differences were also examined in this relationship. The sample consisted of 527 Chinese children aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.69, SD = .96; 53.5% female). Participants completed peer nominations for peer acceptance, peer rejection and social dominance, as well as self‐reports of traditional bullying and cyberbullying.ResultsResults showed that peer rejection at the first time point (T1) significantly and positively predicted traditional bullying perpetration, cyberbullying perpetration and cyberbullying victimization at the second time point (T2). Traditional bullying victimization at T1 significantly and negatively predicted peer acceptance and social dominance at T2. The results also revealed significant male and female differences. For instance, among boys, peer acceptance at T1 significantly and negatively predicted cyberbullying victimization at T2. In contrast, this relationship was not observed among girls. The present findings have important implications for understanding the cyclical relationship between peer relationships and bullying and providing practical guidance for improving peer relationships and reducing bullying.

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Predicting peer acceptance and peer rejection for autistic children

Cited by 10 publications

References 123 publications

Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development

Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development

Autistic Adults Show Transient Cardiac Slowing in Response to Both Social and Non-Social Negative Feedback

The bidirectional relationship between peer relationships and bullying: Evidence from cross‐lagged analyses among Chinese children

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