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Abstract: Now more than ever, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are being taught in inclusive settings. Despite inclusion initiatives, research suggests students with ASD have limited social interactions with neurotypical peers and have significantly fewer high quality friendships compared to neurotypical peers. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, we discuss how friendship development has been supported and targeted in school settings. Then, we discuss directions for future research and highlight the urgency of research in this area given the numerous negative outcomes associated with limited friendships and high rates of bullying victimization.
Since the initial establishment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, federal legislation and school reforms have focused on ways to provide equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities and provide access to the general education curriculum. Now more than ever, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are being taught in general education classrooms. In 2013, approximately 60% of students with ASD were taught for 40% or more of their school day in general education classrooms (NCES, 2016).
In inclusive environments more opportunities occur for students with and without disabilities to interact (Mavropoulou & Sideridis, 2014). However, despite increased access to more inclusive environments and opportunities to engage with peers, students with ASD often experience difficulties accessing afforded rights within these inclusive environments. Indeed, two critical problems in the school context can severely impact the full participation of students with ASD: limited, or lack of, friendCorrespondence ships with peers (Petrina, Carter, & Stephenson, 2014) and frequent bullying victimization (Sreckovic, Brunsting, & Able, 2014).
Despite inclusion initiatives, research suggests students with ASD engage in limited social interactions with peers and have significantly fewer reciprocal and high quality friendships compared to their typically developing peers (Humphrey & Symes, 2011; Locke, Ishijima, Kasari, & London, 2010). When compared to their typically developing peers, students with ASD spend less time in cooperative activities and more time in solitary activities at school (Bauminger, Shulman, & Agam, 2003; Humphrey & Symes, 2011; Wainscot, Naylor, Sutcliffe, Tantam, & Williams, 2008). Further, research consistently documents that youth and adolescents with ASD have poorer quality friendships, fewer reciprocal friendships, less contact with peers outside of school, and the duration of friendships are shorter compared to...