School playgrounds serve as crucial environments for children to engage socially and form friendships, which are integral to their socioemotional development. However, children with Autism Spectrum...Show moreSchool playgrounds serve as crucial environments for children to engage socially and form friendships, which are integral to their socioemotional development. However, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) frequently encounter unique challenges with social interactions, leading to increased time spent in isolation. The difference in social interactions between children with ASD and those without has not been extensively studied. Given the social skill difficulties that children with ASD exhibit, this research emphasizes the impact of social contact on reciprocal friendship formation, highlighting the differences between school-aged children with and without ASD. The data was collected from 100 students, aged 6 to 14, at two Dutch special education primary schools, with a balanced number of students with and without ASD. Social contacts during recess were quantitively measured using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) sensors on school playgrounds, and reciprocal friendship was assessed through peer nominations. Results indicate that children with ASD spent shorter overall time in social contact during recess, yet they still had the same number of reciprocal friends as children without ASD. There was no significant relationship between reciprocal friendship and the quantity of social contact, suggesting that increased social contact does not facilitate friendship formation. This lack of relationship was similarly found in children with and without ASD. Our results indicate that the quality of the interaction may matter more than the frequency, showing that future studies should focus on the quality of the interaction more than the frequency. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the social dynamics of children with ASD in regular school settings and special education schools. Additionally, the long-term effectiveness of interventions, such as peer- implemented naturalistic strategies, peer-mediated Pivotal Response Training, and training 2 programs for educators, should be examined. This research is crucial for developing effective strategies to support the social development of children with ASD.Show less
Engaging in social interaction with peers helps children acquire necessary social skills, highlighting the importance of school environments that promote social interaction. Prior research has...Show moreEngaging in social interaction with peers helps children acquire necessary social skills, highlighting the importance of school environments that promote social interaction. Prior research has identified playground features that could promote social interaction in allistic (non-autistic) children, and types of joint play autistic children were found to engage longer time in. Additionally, prior research has hypothesized that sensory complaint levels could influence the time autistic children spend in playground areas with certain features. However, research focused on identifying types of playground features that could promote longer time in social interaction in autistic children has been limited. This study aimed to identify playground features that could promote longer time in social interaction in autistic children, alongside investigating whether the sensory complaint level of certain playground areas influences interaction time. Autistic children (six to 12 years old; N = 38), including three girls and 35 boys from a Cluster 4 school for children with behavioral and/or social-emotional disorders in the Dutch special educational system, were sampled during recess in which measurements were conducted on two consecutive days for each class for 15-50 minutes per session. We utilized proximity-sensing Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) badges and GPS loggers to record total interaction time in four playground areas, and an adapted version of the Informal Social Space Rating Scale to measure sensory complaint level. We found no sufficient evidence that playground features/playground areas had an effect on interaction time and sensory complaint level in autistic children. Furthermore, we found sensory complaint level to be weakly associated with the amount of time spent in interaction in a playground area in autistic children. We evaluated various internal and external factors that may have affected our findings.Show less
Previous studies on children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have mentioned various social differences that influence the number of friendships and feelings of loneliness that...Show morePrevious studies on children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have mentioned various social differences that influence the number of friendships and feelings of loneliness that tend to be higher compared to neurotypical samples. This thesis focuses on the influence of perceived friendships on feelings of loneliness in school by comparing children with ASD and allistic children. It was hypothesized that children with ASD would exhibit more loneliness in comparison to allistic children. Yet, they were expected to report having more friends due to a possibly different perception of friendship. A negative relationship between perceived friendships and loneliness was expected for both groups. Participants in this study consisted of 98 children from 8 to 14 years old with a mean age of 10.83 who were being measured in a special school setting. The measures included questionnaires presented as self- reports to the participants. This included a friendship nomination questionnaire where children had to nominate up to 5 friends and a self-assessment questionnaire measuring loneliness. The results showed no group differences in perceived friendships and loneliness levels. Nevertheless, as hypothesized for both groups a negative relationship was found between perceived friendships and loneliness, i.e., when the number of friends increases, the loneliness levels decrease. The limitations have focused on various age and gender factors, as well as the influence of the setting on the studied sample. Future studies should focus on research on unilateral friendships that might be satisfactory for children with ASD. Overall, findings of the current study have contributed to the research that fights the common stereotype of individuals with ASD as loners who have no intrinsic need to socialize.Show less
Low peer acceptance in childhood can lead to negative outcomes, including loneliness. Autistic adolescents are known to experience social challenges, possibly indicating low peer acceptance and...Show moreLow peer acceptance in childhood can lead to negative outcomes, including loneliness. Autistic adolescents are known to experience social challenges, possibly indicating low peer acceptance and resulting in more loneliness. Therefore, the present study examined peer acceptance, loneliness, and the link between these two constructs, comparing autistic and non-autistic pre-adolescents. Data was collected from two special education schools in the Netherlands. We analysed 75 children aged 8-12 (mean 10.6), of which 34 where autistic and 41 non-autistic, including differential diagnoses. The Child Loneliness Scale measured loneliness. Peer nominations (playmate preferences and reciprocated friendships) and proximity sensors (centrality in playground peer networks) measured peer acceptance. A one-way ANOVA showed no significant difference in loneliness between autistic and non-autistic children. A one-way MANOVA showed no significant effect of autism on playmate preferences and playground centrality, but significantly fewer reciprocated friendships for autistic children. A Hierarchical Multiple Regression revealed that overall peer acceptance and autism did not significantly predict loneliness. The present study found that although autistic children had less reciprocated friendships, they did not feel lonelier and were similarly accepted in peer groups as non-autistic peers. Thus, being accepted by the group, although not necessarily with close individual friendships, could help mitigate loneliness in autistic pre-adolescents.Show less
Abstract Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that impacts 1 % of the population and can be detected as early on as infancy. ASD in children is important to be examined as...Show moreAbstract Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurological condition that impacts 1 % of the population and can be detected as early on as infancy. ASD in children is important to be examined as more autistic pupils are attending mainstream education. One part of the routine at school that can be especially challenging for autistic pupils is recess time due to the lack of structured activities. The current thesis aims to examine to what extent the reconstruction of a school’s playground increases enjoyment, peer acceptance, interaction time and physical activity. We also explore to what extent changes in peer acceptance, interaction time and physical activity can predict changes in enjoyment levels in autistic children. In the study 41 autistic children between the ages 8 to 12 years (M = 10.12, SD = 1.01) participated. The children were pupils of a Dutch special education primary school. Data collection occurred on two occasions: firstly, right before the renovation of the playground, and then six months after the renovation. Children wore sensor belts with which peer interactions and physical activity were measured. Enjoyment and peer acceptance were assessed through self-report questionnaires and peer reports, respectively. The results from the study indicate that interaction time during recess did increase post-renovation for the autistic children. There was no statistically significant increase in enjoyment, peer acceptance and physical activity. Furthermore, changes in peer acceptance, interaction time and physical activity were not found to be statistically significant predictors of change in enjoyment. Our findings show that the physical environment at school can be an important determinant for the social inclusion of autistic pupils.Show less
Physical activity (PA) and social interaction (SI) are often challenging for autistic children, especially during recess at school. The aim of this study was to identify the PA levels and social...Show morePhysical activity (PA) and social interaction (SI) are often challenging for autistic children, especially during recess at school. The aim of this study was to identify the PA levels and social interaction and to examine the relationship between the PA levels and SI. Participants included fifty-three children diagnosed with ASD between the ages of 4 and 13 years. Multi-motion receivers measured PA levels and (1) video observations and (2) proximity sensors (RFID) resulted in data for SI. Results showed that, during recess, a significant difference was found between sedentary activity and light-to-moderate and vigorous activity. More time was spent in sedentary activity. Also, according to the proximity sensors, autistic children spent more time in interaction than alone. However, for the video observations, autistic children spent more time alone than in interaction, but this difference was insignificant. A positive correlation was found between vigorous activity and interaction time (RFID). Supporting the notion that PA is positively correlated to SI. Further research is necessary to minimize the limitations and to better understand the needs regarding PA and SA in autistic children during recess.Show less
The current study aimed to examine, to what extent perceived loneliness of autistic pupils in school is related to social connectedness on playground during recess, before and after a playground...Show moreThe current study aimed to examine, to what extent perceived loneliness of autistic pupils in school is related to social connectedness on playground during recess, before and after a playground adaptation, and to what extent a schoolyard adaptation may affect social connectedness on the playground during recess, and how this change is related to a change in perceived loneliness. By redesigning the playground where children spend their recess time, with a focus on fostering an inclusive social environment, the potential promotion of social connectedness and its impact on autistic pupils was investigated. This approach considers the influence of the physical environment and playground design, since there is limited literature because previous research has primarily focused on autistic children's perceived lack of social skills, which may contribute to feelings of loneliness. The research design was longitudinal and it consisted of two timepoints; before and after the playground adaptation. The sample consisted of 50 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, aged from 6-12, from a special education school. The Children’s Loneliness Scale (CLS) was used as an instrument (Asher & Wheeler, 1985) to measure loneliness levels and in order to measure social connectedness, three RFID (proximity sensors) variables were taken into account; number of partners, interaction time, closeness centrality. The research indicated that the loneliness levels in autistic children during recess were particularly low and the relation to social connectedness was insignificant. After the playground adaptation, autistic children demonstrated almost the same levels of perceived loneliness and higher levels of interaction time and closeness centrality and a lower number in the number of partners.Show less
