Participation in Social Activities among Adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

Paul T Shattuck,Gael I Orsmond,Mary Wagner,Benjamin P Cooper,Angela Sirigu

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0027176

Abstract

BackgroundLittle is known about patterns of participation in social activities among adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objectives were to report nationally representative (U.S.) estimates of participation in social activities among adolescents with an ASD, to compare these estimates to other groups of adolescents with disabilities, and examine correlates of limited social participation.Methods and FindingsWe analyzed data from wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2, a large cohort study of adolescents enrolled in special education. Three comparison groups included adolescents with learning disabilities, mental retardation, and speech/language impairments. Adolescents with an ASD were significantly more likely never to see friends out of school (43.3%), never to get called by friends (54.4%), and never to be invited to social activities (50.4%) when compared with adolescents from all the other groups. Correlates of limited social participation included low family income and having impairments in conversational ability, social communication, and functional cognitive skills.ConclusionsCompared with prior research, our study significantly expands inquiry in this area by broadening the range of social participation indicators examined, increasing the external validity of findings, focusing on the under-studied developmental stage of adolescence, and taking an ecological approach that included many potential correlates of social participation. There were notable differences in social participation by income, a dimension of social context seldom examined in research on ASDs.

Highlights

A growing number of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are aging into adolescence and toward adulthood
There were notable differences in social participation by income, a dimension of social context seldom examined in research on ASDs
Our study focused on social participation using data from the first wave of the cohort study when participants were all younger than 18 years old and still in high school

Summary

Introduction

A growing number of children identified with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are aging into adolescence and toward adulthood. Very little is known about the course of ASD through adolescence and into young adulthood. Difficulty with social interaction is a defining feature of ASDs [2]. As the demands for and complexity of social interactions increase during adolescence, teens with an ASD face significant difficulty navigating peer relationships. There is relatively little research describing their participation in social activities. Little is known about patterns of participation in social activities among adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The objectives were to report nationally representative (U.S.) estimates of participation in social activities among adolescents with an ASD, to compare these estimates to other groups of adolescents with disabilities, and examine correlates of limited social participation

Methods

Results

Conclusion