Definition
The conceptual definition of friendship can be summed up as “stable, frequent, and interconnected affective interactions that are manifested by certain classes of behavioural markers (e.g., sharing, play and conversational skills) that facilitate the functions of companionships, intimacy, and closeness” (Bauminger et al. 2008, p. 136).
Historical Background
The impairments in the areas of social interaction and communication, which are core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and problems with emotional and social reciprocity (Fuentes et al. 2012) may result in difficulties in establishing peer relationships appropriate to the child’s developmental level. A growing body of literature has now documented some important differences and similarities in behavioral and affective manifestation of friendships, between typical children and those with ASD. This area of research is rapidly developing, and several recent developments in children and adolescents with ASD will be...
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References and Readings
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Petrina, N., Carter, M., Stephenson, J. (2020). Recent Developments in Understanding Friendship of Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102405-1
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