Understanding the neural response to social rejection in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: A commentary on Masten et al., McPartland et al. and Bolling et al.

Abstract

Achieving social acceptance and avoiding rejection by eers are strong motivational goals during development, articularly during the period of adolescence (Sebastian t al., 2010). Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a develpmental disorder characterised in part by problems with ocial interaction. Individuals with high-functioning ASD eport a desire for friendship (Frith, 2004); however, they lso experience greater levels of loneliness (Bauminger and asari, 2000) and bullying from peers (Van Roekel et al., 010) than do their typically developing (TD) peers, most ikely due to poor social skills. Only a small number of studes have addressed how individuals with ASD experience ocial rejection. Three studies in the current issue address his question in children and adolescents with ASD. One previous experiment (Sebastian et al., 2009) nvestigated reactions to rejection in high-functioning SD, using an experimental social rejection manipulation aradigm known as ‘Cyberball’ (Williams et al., 2000). his is a computerised ball tossing game in which paricipants can be systematically included or excluded from he game by other ‘players’ whose actions are actually re-programmed by the experimenters. Adolescents with SD and TD matched controls (mean age 16.9 years) were