Rapport in same and mixed neurotype groups of autistic and non-autistic adults.
Sarah J Foster, Robert A Ackerman, Charlotte Eh Wilks and 6 others
PMID 39989258WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic adults reported higher rapport and enjoyment when grouped with other autistic adults.
Non-autistic adults reported consistent rapport regardless of group composition. Autistic participants felt less rapport when they were the minority in mixed groups.
Key findings
01All-autistic groups reported significantly higher levels of enjoyment and friendliness than mixed groups.
02Non-autistic participants reported greater rapport on average than autistic participants, but non-autistic rapport remained consistent across group types while autistic rapport declined in mixed settings.
03In post-hoc observations of a collaborative building task, no all-autistic groups showed behaviors like building separate towers or non-participation, whereas these occurred in non-autistic and mixed groups.
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
Only 13 groups had a neuro-minority member, reducing statistical power for detecting differences in these specific conditions. Item-level analyses were not corrected for multiple comparisons, so findings on specific rapport items (like enjoyment) are preliminary. The study relied entirely on self-reported rapport; observational measures of interaction quality were limited to post-hoc counts of specific task behaviors. Participants were mostly White, female, and in their twenties, with no individuals who were non-speaking or had intellectual disabilities, limiting generalizability. Group diagnostic composition was disclosed to participants, which may have influenced how they interpreted their interactions, particularly for non-autistic participants who might have adjusted their behavior to appear more inclusive.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The project was funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that mixed-neurotype groups are inherently less effective for all members. The data showed that non-autistic participants reported consistent rapport regardless of group composition, and the primary composite measure did not differ significantly between group types. The differences were specific to autistic participants' self-reports of enjoyment and friendliness.