Characterizing Daily-Life Social Interactions in Adolescents and Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Comparison Between Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders and 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.
Clémence Feller, Laura Ilen, Stephan Eliez and 1 others
PMID 35018586WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with autism or 22q11 deletion spend similar time alone as peers, but less with friends and more with family.
Those with autism feel judged and lonely in company. Those with 22q11 enjoy interactions but prefer being alone, suggesting different therapy targets.
Key findings
01Participants with ASD and 22q11DS spent a similar amount of time alone as typically developing controls, but significantly more time with housemates and less time with friends or partners.
02Individuals with ASD reported significantly worse subjective experiences of social interactions, feeling more judged and nervous, whereas those with 22q11DS reported experiences similar to controls.
03Both clinical groups expressed a stronger preference to be alone when in company than controls, but only the ASD group reported higher negative affect and lower positive affect overall.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The ASD group had mostly average intellectual functioning, so results may not apply to those with intellectual disability. The 22q11DS group had significantly lower IQ than the other groups, which may affect how they interpreted the EMA questions. Most participants were still in school, so the findings may not reflect social life after leaving structured educational settings. The study relied on self-report, which can be influenced by alexithymia (difficulty identifying emotions), a common feature in ASD that was not measured.
Declared interests
Funded by Swiss National Science Foundation grants and the University of Geneva. No other conflicts of interest are stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that spending time alone indicates social withdrawal or lack of interest in both groups. The study found that individuals with 22q11DS and ASD did not spend more time alone than controls, but their reasons and subjective experiences differed significantly.