Friendship is characterized by each individual's inclinations, where each tends to care for each other’s wellness. Good friends are regarded to be close and hold each other dearly. The development of friendship on children is crucial since they start learning and understanding each other’s problems without fear of judgment, ridicule, or criticism. Friends offer pieces of advice on critical matters regarding each other’s lives and struggles since their friendship is based on honesty, trust, and integrity ( Turner & Cameron, 2016) . They also ensure that they secure each other’s secrets and respect one another by not exposing each other's weaknesses. In instances where an occurrence of problems is experienced they offer reliable solutions and help each other along the way since they are loyal and trustworthy.
They offer kindness to one another with no self-interest at heart. Additionally, they value their happiness, and in cases of disagreement of any nature, they seek amicable friendly negotiations to ensure their cohesiveness. In many instances it is arguably evident that sacrifices are made within themselves since the affection shared surpasses their limitations ( Yucel, Bobbitt-Zeher & Downey, 2018) . Real friends protect each other from any harm whether emotional or physical since they share great trust, patience, and understanding, which takes a long time to develop. This paper aims at explaining the concept of friendship among adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
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Literature Review
The existing literature available to describe and define friendship in the adolescent years among individuals with autism spectrum disorder is limited, and therefore the development of a three-dimensional framework. The first section reviews the current and existing knowledge, which examines the influence that both parents and peers have on their children while the second evaluates popularity and the third, the impact of gender on such relationships. According to Yucel et al. (2018) , adolescence marks the beginning of an increase in peer influence and hence, the question regarding whether this affects adolescents' relationships with their parents, especially those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.
Social scientists have tried to develop explanations regarding the influence of peer pressure on a child's relationship with their parents and whether it promotes closeness and vice versa ( O’Hagan & Hebron, 2017) . Similarly, the relationships between parents and children with autism spectrum disorders have been examined to determine their effects on their ability to socialize with other peers. While this information remains relatively vague, research suggests by O’Hagan and Hebron (2017) that adolescents without autism spectrum disorders influence their peers adversely with regards to their relationships with their parents based on numerous social, cultural, and psychological factors which affect such friendships.
However, among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, the relationships between the individuals and parents are seen to be more robust as they have been developed over time and therefore this has an overall effect on their relationship with their peers as they fail to be influenced ( Kim et al., 2018) . More adolescents diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder proved to have relatively warm relationships with their parents and especially close relationships with their peers, an aspect which can be explained by the fact that they become a complementary rather than a competitive factor in the peer influence of adolescents among each other.
Other scholars suggest that friendship among adolescents, in general, may be misunderstood based on the lack of a clear definition of the term "peer influence" ( Finke, 2016) . For individuals without autism spectrum disorder, social scientists have classified the levels of influence into three major categories, the first being crowds, which can be described as groups focused solely on reputation. Similarly, cliques allow for more intimate interactions while dyads contain close friends and hence, both intimate and interpersonal connections. Following these categories, research suggests that the classification of the same among adolescents with autism may be vaguely based on the fact that most adolescents present closeness with their parents as compared to their peers ( Finke, 2016) .
This can be explained by the fact that adolescents find that they have been dependent on their parents during their childhood, a factor which facilitates closeness and companionship, which they often lack among their peers. However, for those whose relationship with their parents have been observed as warm and hence relatively less close, while that with their peers has been identified as close, scholars affirm that they fall into the cliques and dyads categories ( Sedgewick, Hill, Yates, Pickering & Pellicano, 2016) . Adolescents without autism spectrum disorders have shown a significant inclusion into the Crowds peer influence category as their relationships are solely based on reputation and, therefore, a hierarchical structure that allows for athletes and cheerleaders to be at the top of the hierarchy, especially in high schools.
The influence of gender differences in group structures has further been evaluated as there exists a significant link between the gender of the adolescent and the peer influence imposed on the same. This dimension has proven to be relatively similar among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and those without and hence, a general overview provided by scholars. Accordingly, girls have been observed to develop close relationships within both cliques and dyads and, therefore the development of their interpersonal skills ( Sedgewick et al., 2016) . Among adolescents with autism spectrum disorders, specifically, girls have been observed to engage in unstructured activities, which involves discussions and the increased need to listen and offer counsel to each other; based on the key attribute of care and reciprocity. Boys, on the other hand, engage in structured activities such as games and athletics, mostly among those without autism spectrum disorders.
Definition of the concept
Children's growth is spontaneous in major cases; they start developing friendships at a tender age as the art of making friends occurs in natural ways among them. However, as they get to the next stage in life, they start learning and understanding more about friendship. Among teenagers, relationships are developed within specific contexts such as schools, homes, and social gatherings. Research provided by empirical evidence argued that friendship among teenagers with concerned disorder is crucial since a high percentage of their attachment lies within the social life ( Finke, 2016) . Nevertheless, it occurs differently among boys and girls since teenagers of the same gender have specific attributes of value. This major finding offers assistance in understanding each gender’s form of attachment; for instance, girls offer high value to their friends since they show more trust and integrity as well as honesty.
There is ease in communication skills among them, thus having better interpersonal skills. Nonetheless, peer pressure is a major challenge among them as they compete against each other over minor issues such as fashion appearance and attention. On the other hand scholars argue that boys tend to maintain their relationships for a while compared to the girls ( O’Hagan & Hebron, 2017) . This is evident since their masculinity calls for games or competitions, and the winner is highly regarded with respect since they view being defeated as a challenge. As ego development takes place among them, they tend to tease each other, especially when one of them is regarded as weak since this brings significant satisfaction to them. Their respect for games is a significant attribute to friendship, and Research suggests boys form most of their friends from game-related engagement.
Key Elements
Friendship consists of different attributes, and there are several factors that identify themselves with friends, such as integrity and humor. Most friends are prone to exchange jokes and making fun of each other; this enhances their bond and creates beautiful memories of many moments shared. Selflessness is also a significant ingredient that forms friendships. In many instances research suggests that friends are generous, and there is no limit if ownership within them and hence reciprocity ( O’Hagan & Hebron, 2017) . Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder believe in giving each other and sharing. Additionally telepathy is exchanged within them. In major instances, it is easy for them to understand each other’s moves towards anything since they are remarkably synchronized dynamically.
Many friends are honest with each other; even on issues regarding sincerity and truthfulness, they exchange opinions as they are true to one another. In cases of any differences, respect is upheld as they honor each other's suggestions, whether they agree or differ in opinions occasionally. Additionally, friends empathize with one another as observed by the support given when one of them is going through a hard time ( Sigstad, 2017) . Friendship among the concerned population draws its strength from longevity, and hence despite numerous challenges and obstacles faced by these neurotypical peers, they are proven to endure and remain sustainable. It is, however, essential to note that no true friendship is immune to the test of any nature; hence, friends staying true to themselves.
Measurement
Studies suggest that friendship is controlled by attachment, as this affirms that true relationships are highly promoted by social support, thus leading to an outstanding personality ( Sigstad, 2017) . The development of attachment starts in the childhood stages, where a child's frequent interaction with any individual leads to the establishment of behavioral systems. This mechanism is exhibited in the entire life cycle of an individual since they are done repeatedly ( Sigstad, 2017) .The ability to maintain a positive relationship begins in the early stages since social competence is instilled through positive attachment. The development of personality is dependent upon emotional regulation, and high attachment levels as research argue that children who are exposed to these conditions acquire emotional stability, thus better interpersonal skills. Moreover, studies reveal that later in life, they are more open and have the best relationship, compared to the children who fail to explore attachment as they depict the characteristics of negative emotions, anxiety, and hostility ( Selman, 2017) . These have been identified as the most effective and common ways of measuring attachment levels in friendship.
Developmental Psychology
The progressive aspect of growth in psychology with regards to friendship has been elaborated by a research study performed by scholars hence the following argument. Children start exhibiting characteristics like sharing while they are still young, but change as they grow older ( Selman, 2017) . Child psychologists argue that a percentage of children share to surpass their social status while others share since it is a fundamental concept within them. A key attribute to children is that they tend to share well with their friends than a needy stranger since how well they give to each other depends on how well they know each other; a concept applicable to both those with autism spectrum disorder and those without ( Thien, Shafaei & Rasoolimanesh, 2018) . This, however, improves social relations with children and develops further as they grow older. A major finding is that at an early stage, fairness is not an influencing factor towards sharing, but it changes as children age.
Gender’s Role in its Social Constructs
Based on the complexities involved in socialization among individuals with autism, there exists a perception that most adolescents find little need for friendship. This has been especially observed among adolescent boys with autism who fail to engage in close relationships with their peers based on numerous issues. However, girls report having the will and desire to engage in close relationships with their neurotypical peers despite having autism spectrum disorder. Studies conducted by Thien et al. (2018) to examine the inclusion of adolescent children in the social circles within their classrooms revealed that most of them were included in the social networks even though the inclusion was identified to be to a specific degree.
Further research suggests such adolescents vary in the motivational factors that influence their engagement in social networks and have therefore found that while girls are more prone to desiring close and intimate relationships, adolescents boys are relatively less consistent in their desire to do so (Sedgewick et al., 2016). Additionally, gender perceptions among various ethnic and cultural groups highly influence the degree to which adolescents will be motivated to engage with their neurotypical peers. Nevertheless, this research finds that while there exists limited literature with regards to the issue of gender, few have provided in-depth information and hence the need for more research offering a comprehensive insight into the matter.
Conclusion
This research paper aimed at evaluating friendship among neurotypical peers, specifically adolescents diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, and hence finds that more studies are required into the subject for comprehensive information. However, the text has evaluated the current and existing literature with regards to the issue and hence, the identification of three major categories for explaining peer influence. Scholars have further developed a framework for which peer influence and how gender affects the social constructs of friendship can be evaluated and hence the conclusion that while peer influence may be considerably more among adolescents without autism spectrum disorders, it has been observed as minimal among the population in question.
Similarly, gender has been linked to a variety of factors, such as ethnic and cultural factors, as well as motivational factors that facilitate the desire to engage in various social networks. Furthermore, the key attributes of friendship have been discussed within the text as they are present and influential in all aspects of the adolescents’ social and personal networks. The text further advocates for more research into the issue as there exists a gap in literature which this study has filled. Nevertheless, there exists a need for more.
References
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Kim, H. J., Min, J. Y., Min, K. B., Lee, T. J., & Yoo, S. (2018). The relationship among family environment, self-control, friendship quality, and adolescents’ smartphone addiction in South Korea: Findings from nationwide data. PloS one , 13 (2), e0190896.
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.
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Yucel, D., Bobbitt-Zeher, D., & Downey, D. B. (2018). Quality Matters: Sibling Relationships and Friendship Nominations among Adolescents. Child Indicators Research , 11 (2), 523-539.
