Race, disability, and grade: Social relationships in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Gazi F Azad, Jill Locke, Connie Kasari and 1 others
PMID 26966285WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism received fewer friendship nominations than their typical peers, especially in upper grades.
African American and Latino children with autism in grades 3–5 faced the sharpest drop in social integration and friendships compared to White typical peers in lower grades.
Key findings
01Children with autism received significantly fewer friendship nominations (mean 1.7) than typically developing peers (mean 3.2).
02African American and Latino children with autism in grades 3–5 received significantly fewer friendship nominations than the reference group of White typically developing children in grades K–2.
03All children with autism, except Asian children in grades K–2, were significantly less integrated in their classroom social networks than White typically developing children in grades K–2.
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 cross-sectional design means the study cannot track how social relationships change over time for individual children. The sample size limited the ability to examine other factors like gender homophily or the racial composition of specific classrooms. Socio-economic status and English language learner status were not collected, so their potential influence on social outcomes could not be assessed. The study only measured friendships and social networks within the classroom, ignoring relationships outside of school which may be significant for some cultural groups.
Declared interests
The text does not report specific funding sources or conflicts of interest declarations.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that typical peers are the only source of social support. The study only measured classroom networks, so children with autism may have strong friendships outside of school that were not captured here.