Introduction
A significant number of children are born with intellectual disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder and hence, the aim of this study as it investigates how these children define friendship in their adolescent years.
Key points
How to define the concept of friendship among adolescents
Key attributes of friendship
How attachment is measured
Developmental psychology with regards to friendship
The role of gender in the development of friendship
Body
1. How to define the concept of friendship among adolescents
a) The transition into adulthood involves numerous complex factors which must be assessed to understand the impact of friendship within these transitions (Finke, 2016). The idea has proven to be significantly different among adolescents with disorders based on a variety of factors; the most essential being their intellectual disability.
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b) The factors mentioned above affect the adolescents with autism social motivation and in turn, their ability to develop a friendship (O'Hagan & Hebron, 2017). They, however, define friendship as the experience of care and mutual trust. Additionally, for the average American, the development of friendships is limited to the social, economic, and cultural factors affecting the adolescent.
II. Key attributes of friendship
a) Over time, the critical qualities of any friendship have been proven to include closeness and companionship. However, the characteristics of friendship among adolescents are dependent on personal preferences and standards, as well as perceptions and cultural beliefs. Scholars have identified that the critical attributes of friendship among adolescents without autism spectrum disorders include loyalty and the lack of judgment (O'Hagan & Hebron, 2017).
b) Essential characteristics of friendship among adolescents with disabilities, however, involve their ability to experience mutual care and trust (Sigstad, 2017). Other attributes may include the ability for the concerned parties to offer stability and reciprocity as their psychological and intellectual capacities demand the same.
III. How friendship is measured
a) Adolescents with disabilities experience life relatively differently from others, and hence the measurement and implications of friendship vary depending on the situations (Selman, 2017). Friendship can thus be measured from a diverse range of lenses including but not limited to the presence in one's life as well as the importance vested upon an individual.
b) Friendship, among autistic adolescents, can be measured by their ability to engage in social involvement and overtime as well as their overall mental and psychological well-being (Sigstad, 2017). Additionally, adolescents, regardless of their intellectual abilities, highly value inclusion, and the sense of understanding and hence another measure of friendship. Another measure of closeness within this population is the ability to invest in each party concerned despite differences.
IV. Developmental psychology with regards to friendship
a) Understanding human evolution and growth has contributed to man's development of a variety of theories to explain this. Numerous scholars have developed a range of theoretical frameworks through which to explain friendships (Selman, 2017).
b) Developmental psychology has, however, proven effective in explaining friendship in the context of adolescents with these disabilities. This concept has further proven beneficial in helping practitioners understand the value of friendship in promoting socio-emotional functions ranging from intimacy to self-disclosure ( Thien, Shafaei & Rasoolimanesh, 2018) . The evaluation of friendship from a development psychology lens is hence crucial in determining its definition among various populations.
V. The implications of gender in the development of friendship
a) Peer socialization is highly dependent on various variables, such as ethnic and cultural differences. Additionally, the impact of the latter is dependent upon variations in gender, as the perceptions about friendship differ significantly ( Thien et al., 2018) . Gender has been identified as a critical player in the development of friendships among adolescents without autism as well as adults.
b) Few studies have, however, focused on the role of gender in the development of friendship among adolescents with the discussed disorders (Sedgewick et al., 2016). These limited studies have focused primarily on friendship networks while disregarding close friendships among adolescent girls and other girls and teenage boys and other boys with autism.
Conclusion
I. Friendship among adolescents with the disorders mentioned above is a complex phenomenon which should be critically evaluated for deeper understanding and interpretation.
II. The aim of this study, therefore, was to determine the definition of friendship among adolescents with these disorders through their experiences and perceptions. Furthermore, the key attributes of friendship discussed as vital among adolescents with the mentioned disabilities include closeness, companionship, loyalty, mutual trust and care as well as the lack of judgment. Similarly, these individuals find that stability and reciprocity are key characteristics of friendship.
III. Further research should be conducted to evaluate the impact of these experiences on friendship as well as the impact of the latter on their development.
Annotated bibliography
Finke, E. H. (2016). Friendship: Operationalizing the intangible to improve friendship-based outcomes for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology , 25 (4), 654-663.
This article critically investigates how friendships among individuals with autism spectrum disorders can be established and maintained. The author evaluates the attributes of friendship and their relevance to these individuals as well as the latter's understanding and interpretation of friendship. The investigation is conducted using content analysis which concludes that several concepts should be considered when establishing friendship among these adolescents and hence indispensable in the academic world. This article is useful for the proposed research as it offers insight into the effectiveness of intervention programs aimed at promoting friendships among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders while consequently allowing readers to identify the latter's view of friendship.
O'Hagan, S., & Hebron, J. (2017). Perceptions of friendship among adolescents with autism spectrum conditions in a mainstream high school resource provision. European Journal of Special Needs Education , 32 (3), 314-328.
This study was conducted by scholars who were keen to identify the processes of friendship development among adolescents with autism spectrum conditions as well as the impact of friendship on the overall wellness of the latter. The data collection method involved structured interviews of the key participants who included adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, their parents, and their respective teachers. The scholars then concluded that a majority of the adolescents interviewed desired to experience friendship; despite various attributes of friendship posing a challenge. This text is significant to this research as it allows for an in-depth understanding of friendship and the impact of the same on individual wellness from the concerned party's perspective.
Sigstad, H. M. H. (2017). Qualities in friendship–Within an outside perspective–Definitions expressed by adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities. Journal of intellectual disabilities , 21 (1), 20-39.
This article explores how adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities define the qualities of friendship and how these definitions are significant according to the developed descriptions of the qualities of friendship among adolescents who are not disabled. The study is thus conducted based on qualitative interviews whose results indicate that the interviewees' perceptions of the qualities of friendship remained relatively similar to the established qualities viewed among none disabled adolescents. Such attributes thus include care and mutual trust and hence the conclusion by scholars that the differences with regards to the definition of friendship among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders may account for the differences in how they perceive the same. This text is relevant to the proposed study as it offers measures for friendship through an evaluation of different definitions of the concept among disabled adolescents and none disabled adolescents.
Selman, R. (2017). Fostering friendship: Pair therapy for treatment and prevention . Routledge.
This article focuses on developmental psychology, and it's an influence on the development of friendship among adolescents. The experts on human development teach graduates the strategic ways through which psychological growth can be facilitated through the involvement of various factors ranging from academic to social competence. The program thus aims at eliminating risks associated with childhood development by identifying practical ways to promote psychological resilience among children and adolescents facing challenges with regards to socialization based on various causes. This article thus examines the contextual factors affecting childhood development and hence a pivotal contributor to the proposed study as it offers insight into the theory of developmental psychology which is then relevant to evaluation the formation of friendships.
Sedgewick, F., Hill, V., Yates, R., Pickering, L., & Pellicano, E. (2016). Gender differences in the social motivation and friendship experiences of autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Journal of autism and developmental disorders , 46 (4), 1297-1306.
This text is focused on a mixed-methods approach which proves useful in the assessment of the establishment and perceptions of friendship on a lens that focused primarily on gender differences. The investigation involved analyzing the role of gender through the evaluation of friendship formation among girls and boys with autism spectrum disorders separately as well as those without. The results revealed that autistic girls experienced relatively similar friendship experiences as those without autism, while autistic boys with autism showed significantly exciting results. Their friendship experiences proved to be relatively different from those of boys without autism. These scholars have contributed significantly to academic literature as the study offers a new perspective from which to view the development of friendships; gender. It is thus crucial for this study as it provides insight from a gender-related perspective.
References
Finke, E. H. (2016). Friendship: Operationalizing the intangible to improve friendship-based outcomes for individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology , 25 (4), 654-663.
O'Hagan, S., & Hebron, J. (2017). Perceptions of friendship among adolescents with autism spectrum conditions in a mainstream high school resource provision. European Journal of Special Needs Education , 32 (3), 314-328.
Sedgewick, F., Hill, V., Yates, R., Pickering, L., & Pellicano, E. (2016). Gender differences in the social motivation and friendship experiences of autistic and non-autistic adolescents. Journal of autism and developmental disorders , 46 (4), 1297-1306.
Selman, R. (2017). Fostering friendship: Pair therapy for treatment and prevention . Routledge.
Sigstad, H. M. H. (2017). Qualities in friendship–Within an outside perspective–Definitions expressed by adolescents with mild intellectual disabilities. Journal of intellectual disabilities , 21 (1), 20-39.
Thien, L. M., Shafaei, A., & Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2018). Specifying and Assessing a Multidimensional Friendship Quality Construct. Child Indicators Research , 11 (4), 1321-1336.
