AUTISM

1
AUTISM

• SOCIAL INTERACTIONS AMONG AUTISTIC CHILDREN AND
  SAME-AGED PEERS

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WHAT IS SOCIAL INTERACTION?

• Social interaction is a reciprocal process in
  which children effectively initiate and respond
  to social stimuli presented by their peers.
• (Bauminger, Shulman, Agam 2003)

3
Loneliness

• Social interaction deficits is a major
  characteristic in autistic children. Children
  who have poor social interaction skills with
  peers are considered to be at greater risk for
  experiencing loneliness. Therefore, children
  with autism may be at a greater risk for having
  feelings of loneliness, as well (Bauminger,
  Shulman, Agam, 2003). Studies also show that
  these children have a poor understanding of why
  they have these feelings of loneliness (Orsmond,
  Krauss, Seltzer, 2004).

4
WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL INTERACTION CHARACTERISTICS
OF TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN?
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Characteristics Include

• Emotional Impulse Control
• Conforming and Friendly Behaviors
• Cooperative Play (Playing well with others)
• Assertive Leadership Skills
• Helping
• Sharing
• Comforting Behavior
• (Hart, Fujiki, Brinton, Hart, 2004)

6
WHAT ARE THE SOCIAL INTERACTION CHARACTERISTICS
OF HIGH-FUNCTIONING AUTISTIC CHILDREN?
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Characteristics Include

• Poor Social Interaction Initiation
• Social Isolation in Less Structured Environments
• Difficulty Linking Emotions to Different Social
  Situations
• Difficulty Understanding the Causes of Emotions
• Fail to Consider the Perspective of Others
• Lack of Reciprocity
• (Bauminger, Shulman, Agam, 2003)

8
Outlook

• It is said that adolescents with autism make
  fewer conversational initiations than their
  typically developing peers. However, an autistic
  childs ability to relate with adults gets better
  during the adolescent years. There is also a
  positive outlook with these children because
  reports indicate that the number of successful
  peer interactions increases with age (Orsmond,
  Krauss, Seltzer, 2004).

9
References

• Bauminger, N., Shulman, C., Agam, G. (2003).
  Peer interaction and loneliness in
  high-functioning children with autism. Journal
  of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33,
  489-508. Retrieved October 31, 2005, from the
  Academic Search Premier database.
• Hart, K. I., Fujiki, M., Brinton, B., Hart, C.
  H. (2004). The relationship between social
  behavior and severity of language impairment.
  Journal of Speech, Language, Hearing Research,
  47, 647-663. Retrieved November 3, 2005, from
  the Academic Search Premier database.
• Orsmond, G. I., Krauss, M. W., Seltzer, M. M.
  (2004). Peer relationships and social and
  recreational activities among adolescents and
  adults with autism. Journal of Autism and
  Developmental Disorders, 34, 245-256. Retrieved
  November 17, 2005 from the Academic Search
  Premier database.