Reciprocal friendships and peer interactions on schoolyards of autistic and non-autistic children

Socialisation for children and adolescents is fundamental for their well-being and overall development. Schools are where children spend most of their day, so it is important to inquire about their peer interactions and reciprocal friendships in the schoolyard. Autistic children have shown to have smaller social networks than non-autistic children. Therefore, exploring how reciprocal friendships can be beneficial for their peer interactions may deliver opportunities to create more inclusive environments at schoolyards. The current study was a cross-sectional correlational design. It was part of a longitudinal study which aimed to create an inclusive environment for students outside the classroom. The sample consisted of 99 Dutch speaking participants, 47% autistic and 53% non-autistic children with ages ranging between 8 and 14 years old (M = 10.8, SD = 1.2). The sample included 35% females and 66% males, who attended 21 different classes in two special education primary schools in...Show moreSocialisation for children and adolescents is fundamental for their well-being and overall development. Schools are where children spend most of their day, so it is important to inquire about their peer interactions and reciprocal friendships in the schoolyard. Autistic children have shown to have smaller social networks than non-autistic children. Therefore, exploring how reciprocal friendships can be beneficial for their peer interactions may deliver opportunities to create more inclusive environments at schoolyards. The current study was a cross-sectional correlational design. It was part of a longitudinal study which aimed to create an inclusive environment for students outside the classroom. The sample consisted of 99 Dutch speaking participants, 47% autistic and 53% non-autistic children with ages ranging between 8 and 14 years old (M = 10.8, SD = 1.2). The sample included 35% females and 66% males, who attended 21 different classes in two special education primary schools in The Netherlands. Data was collected during break time using proximity sensors (RFID) to measure peer interactions on the playground. The variables analysed were the total interaction time and the number of interaction partners. For measuring reciprocal friendships, a self-report to nominate their best friends was used. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) performed showed that autistic children had lower levels of reciprocal friendships (F(4, 94) = 3.98, p = .049) but a higher number of interaction partners (F(4, 94) = 4.19, p = .043) than non-autistic children. Nonetheless, there were no differences between the interaction time for both groups (F(4, 94) = 0.74, p = 0.391). Also, hierarchical regression analysis conducted showed that reciprocal friendship gave a significant contribution to total interaction time (β = .237, t = 2.35, p =.021), but did not influence the number of interaction partners on the school playground. In conclusion, non-autistic and autistic children were different in reciprocal friendships and peer interactions on the playground. As one of the biggest challenges for autistic children is to engage in social interactions, knowing that friend’s support can increase opportunities to interact with others may contribute to create more inclusive environments that enable their overall development.Show less

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Reciprocal friendships and peer interactions on schoolyards of autistic and non-autistic children