This is what friendship is to me: A grounded theory of how adolescents with autism spectrum disorder experience and develop friendships
Loading...
Authors
Hall, Layla
Date
Type
thesis
Language
eng
Keyword
Autism , ASD , Adolescent , Friendship
Alternative Title
Abstract
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience substantial difficulties developing and navigating social relationships. They are reported to have fewer friends, poorer friendship quality, and increased loneliness in comparison to their neurotypical peers. Despite these social difficulties, youth with ASD report a desire for friendship and they often report experiencing satisfaction in their friendships. There appears to be a mismatch between the empirical literature comparing ASD friendship experiences to neurotypical friendship expectations and the reports of the expressed experiences and desires of youth with ASD. There is a need to better understand the friendship experiences of adolescents with ASD from their own perspective and to integrate these perspectives into the development of theory. In doing so, we may obtain insight into how adolescents with ASD may be better supported in their pursuit of friendship. Using a grounded theory approach, the aim of the current study was to develop, from a psychological perspective, a substantive theory of individual and interactive processes by which adolescents with ASD develop and navigate friendships that are meaningful to them. The grounded theory presented in this dissertation suggests that in developing friendships, adolescents with ASD must traverse the conflict between desiring friendships in which they are accepted for who they are and the struggle to engage in the processes required to establish such friendships due to a range of barriers that promote a tendency to withdraw from and avoid social interaction. This research suggests a core process by which slowly building familiarity with others allows participants to achieve a sense of acceptance within their closest friendships. This research presents a series of sub-processes by which adolescents with ASD interact with their peers to progressively establish more safe and stable meaning in their developing friendships, and by which they subsequently engage in increasingly vulnerable action based on this meaning to support progression of their friendships. Results from this study have implications for the education setting, as well as for clinical intervention, including the targets, modalities and structure of social interventions.
Description
Citation
Publisher
License
Queen's University's Thesis/Dissertation Non-Exclusive License for Deposit to QSpace and Library and Archives Canada
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.
ProQuest PhD and Master's Theses International Dissemination Agreement
Intellectual Property Guidelines at Queen's University
Copying and Preserving Your Thesis
This publication is made available by the authority of the copyright owner solely for the purpose of private study and research and may not be copied or reproduced except as permitted by the copyright laws without written authority from the copyright owner.