Teaching Friendship Skills to Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Current Situation and Lessons

Abstract

Difficulty in communication and social interaction has certain impacts on the skills of making friends and building friendships among adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). This study focusing on the current status of teaching friendship skills to adolescents with ASD among 125 teachers and 101 parents found that (i) adolescents with ASD mostly struggle with making new friends, participating in group activities, and helping others; (ii) teachers and parents encounter difficulties in selecting the contents, approaches and methods to teach adolescents with ASD to make friends; and (iii) there is a lack of resources that provide teachers and parents with teaching activities and methodology to effectively support adolescents with ASD to make friends.