Investigating Markers of Rapport in Autistic and Nonautistic Interactions.
Olivia M Rifai, Sue Fletcher-Watson, Lorena Jiménez-Sánchez and 1 others
PMID 36600904WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic pairs reported similar rapport to nonautistic pairs despite using less backchanneling.
Mixed pairs reported significantly lower rapport and less mutual gaze. This suggests rapport does not depend on typical social cues like frequent nodding or eye contact.
Key findings
01Autistic pairs did not significantly differ from nonautistic pairs in self-rated rapport, despite autistic pairs having significantly lower backchanneling rates.
02Mixed pairs had significantly lower rapport than both autistic and nonautistic pairs, and also exhibited significantly shorter mutual gaze duration.
03Mutual gaze correlated with rapport in nonautistic pairs, but not in autistic or mixed pairs, indicating that typical eye-contact norms do not predict rapport for autistic interactions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was exploratory and the sample size was small (63 participants). Participants knew their partner's diagnostic status, which may have influenced their behavior and ratings. The task involved a high cognitive load (story recall), which might differ from casual conversation. The study included few men and only participants with typical IQ scores, limiting generalizability. Mutual gaze was coded subjectively from video rather than using eye-tracking technology.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower backchanneling and gaze in autistic pairs as a deficit in social skill. The study found that rapport was just as high in autistic pairs as in nonautistic pairs, despite these behavioral differences. The lower rapport in mixed pairs highlights a mismatch in social norms, not an impairment in either group.