Alone Together? - Effects of Social Contact on Loneliness among Autistic and Allistic Students in Special Education

Studying loneliness in autistic and non-autistic (allistic) children is a key component in fostering inclusive school environments for students. The current study investigated the effect of total time spent in contact on loneliness in both autistic and allistic children. It was hypothesized that (1) more total time spent in contact would relate to fewer feelings of loneliness and that (2) autistic children would show a weaker association between loneliness and time spent in contact. Moreover, it was expected that autistic children would (3) spend less time in contact and (4) report more loneliness, compared to allistic children. To investigate this, children (N = 100) aged 8 to 14 years from two primary special education schools were included. Contact time measurements were conducted using the Open Beacon Radio Frequent Identification proximity tags, which were worn by students during recess time. Loneliness was measured by using the self-reported Children’s Loneliness Scale....Show moreStudying loneliness in autistic and non-autistic (allistic) children is a key component in fostering inclusive school environments for students. The current study investigated the effect of total time spent in contact on loneliness in both autistic and allistic children. It was hypothesized that (1) more total time spent in contact would relate to fewer feelings of loneliness and that (2) autistic children would show a weaker association between loneliness and time spent in contact. Moreover, it was expected that autistic children would (3) spend less time in contact and (4) report more loneliness, compared to allistic children. To investigate this, children (N = 100) aged 8 to 14 years from two primary special education schools were included. Contact time measurements were conducted using the Open Beacon Radio Frequent Identification proximity tags, which were worn by students during recess time. Loneliness was measured by using the self-reported Children’s Loneliness Scale. Statistical analysis revealed that more total time spent in contact had different effects on loneliness in the two groups. While the allistic students were found to feel less lonely when spending more time in contact, autistic students were found to experience more feelings of loneliness when spending more time in social contact. Alongside this, the autistic students were found to indeed spend shorter time in social contact than the allistic students, yet no group differences in loneliness were found. This research has found autistic and allistic students to significantly differ in their experience of loneliness in relation to social contact during recess time. The findings of this thesis indicate that further research is required to understand what factors lessen loneliness in autistic students and what is necessary to create inclusive school environments.Show less

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Alone Together? - Effects of Social Contact on Loneliness among Autistic and Allistic Students in Special Education