Friendship in Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Related to Diverse Developmental Changes Between Toddlerhood and Adolescence.
Ronit Saban-Bezalel, Esther Ben-Itzchak, Ditza A Zachor
PMID 38456995WHAT IT FOUND
Adolescents with ASD who had friends did not show worsening social communication severity and had larger gains in socialization and daily living skills.
Those without friends showed worsening social communication severity. School setting, ADHD, and anxiety did not separate the groups.
Key findings
01Adolescents classified as Friendship(-) showed a significant increase in ADOS social affect severity from toddlerhood to adolescence, while Friendship(+) did not.
02Both groups improved adaptive socialization and daily living skills, but the gains were significantly greater in the Friendship(+) group.
03Friendship status was not significantly associated with educational setting, ADHD prevalence, or parent-reported anxiety severity.
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 study compared two friendship groups and did not test an intervention. It cannot show that any measured skill caused friendship. Only 43 of the original 69 participants were included. All were white and of Jewish ethnicity. The sample had many more males than females. The authors caution against extrapolating the findings to females with ASD. Friendship was defined broadly as having at least one friend plus adequate social insight. It did not measure friendship quality, duration, or stability. ADHD and anxiety were assessed with parent and teacher questionnaires. The authors note future studies could add direct examinations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the daily living and socialization gains as proof that training these skills creates friendships. The study compared two groups and did not test an intervention.