Sex Differences in Social Participation of High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Leann Smith DaWalt, Julie Lounds Taylor, Somer Bishop and 5 others
PMID 32881417WHAT IT FOUND
High school students with autism had very low social participation regardless of sex.
On average, they had 8 interactions in two weeks with only two peers. Females did not have more friends or interactions than males, though they texted and called friends more often.
Key findings
01There were no statistically significant differences between females and males in the number of social interactions, number of peers, or presence of a frequent social partner in school.
02Regardless of sex, social participation was low: students averaged 8 social interactions in school over two weeks and interacted with only two peers, with about two-thirds lacking a regular social partner.
03Females had significantly higher frequency of calling or texting friends compared to males, but no differences in other out-of-school social activities.
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
Data on social experiences were collected from teachers and parents, not directly from the adolescents, so subjective feelings about these interactions (e.g., loneliness or satisfaction) were not measured. The study did not include a typically developing comparison group, so it is unclear how these social participation rates compare to neurotypical peers in the same schools. Students in residential or segregated settings, and those not served through an IEP, were excluded. Only binary sex (male/female) was assessed; non-binary gender identities were not included.
Declared interests
The study was supported by grants from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, and the National Institute of Mental Health. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that females with ASD are more socially capable or integrated than males. While females had more frequent phone/text contact with friends, their in-school peer interactions and overall social network size were statistically similar to males and remained very low.