Adolescents With Asperger Syndrome and Perceptions of Friendship

Abstract

This qualitative study investigated the perceptions of friendship faced by teenagers diagnosed With Asperger syndrome. This research aimed to provide teachers With an insight into the social World of Asperger syndrome from a student perspective. A multiple—case study approach Was used to collect data from 5 secondary school students in Australia. Data Were collected through the use of semistructured intervieWs. An inductive approach to data analysis resulted in a number of broad themes in the data: (a) understanding of concepts or language regarding friendships, (b) description of What is a friend, (c) description of What is not a friend, (d) description of an acquaintance, and (e) using masquerading to cope With social deficits. The insights provided by the participants in this study are valuable for teachers, parents, and anyone else involved in inclusive education.

Using and reasoning about social strategies in autism spectrum disorder in everyday situations

“…It has been suggested that preserved aspects of social performance in ASD may rely on compensatory mechanisms such as knowledge acquired through prior social learning and experience (Frith, 2004;Hill & Frith, 2003). This has been supported by recent qualitative work, in which participants with ASD reported that they often observe how others act in different situations (Carrington, Templeton, & Papinczak, 2003;Müller, Schuler, & Yates, 2008). …”

“…This may be instrumental in helping people with ASD to extrapolate the rules underlying appropriate social conduct (Carrington et al, 2003;Müller et al, 2008), and teaching them how to circumvent their difficulties and find solutions to social problems (Bowler, 1992;Senju, 2012). Reliance on compensatory social knowledge may have aided those with ASD with awkwardness ratings and rank-ordering, both of which are less demanding than generating free verbal responses.…”

‘I am who I am’: Reputation concerns in adolescents on the autism spectrum

“…Instead, they reported that their students had a desire to fit in. Previous research has also noted this desire to belong (Daniel & Billingsley, 2010), with one study reporting that autistic adolescents used masquerading to fit in with their peers (Carrington et al, 2003b). It is possible that these adolescents do have some motivation to fit in with their peers, but they do not wish to do so by conforming.…”

“…As Milton (2013) notes, although the social experiences of autistic individuals are different to that of typical individuals, there is not necessarily a lack of interest in, or motivation for, social experiences, as is often assumed. For example, Carrington et al (2003b) found that adolescents with autism reported using "masquerading" -pretending to know how social situations work -to hide their social difficulties from typical peers. Thus, it is plausible that autistic individuals would be to some degree concerned about what others think of them.…”

“…Adolescence can be a particularly difficult time for those on the autism spectrum, as they may struggle with the increased social complexities that the secondary school environment presents (Adreon & Stella, 2001;Carrington et al, 2003a). Indeed, cognitively-able autistic 1 adolescents report increased concerns about their friendships and an increasing awareness that they are different to other people (Carrington et al, 2003b;Stoddart, 1999). They also report that they would like to fit in and have friends (Daniel & Billingsley, 2010), although they often feel like they do not fit in (Portway & Johnson, 2003) and lack the skills to successfully obtain desired friendships (Bauminger et al, 2003;Locke et al, 2010).…”