Abstract
This study examined the influence of early joint attention and play in children with autism on child- and parent-reported friendship quality 5 years later. Initially, children participated in developmental, joint attention, and play measures. At follow-up (age 8–9), parents and children completed the Friendship Qualities Scale (Bukowski et al. in J Soc Personal Relatsh 11:471–484, 1994) rating the child’s friendship on companionship, help, security, closeness, and conflict. Parents and children described their children’s friendships similarly except children’s ratings were significantly higher than their parents on companionship. Children with better joint attention at age three reported their friendships to have higher closeness and lower conflict. Children with better initial play reported greater helpfulness. This study provides preliminary evidence linking early core abilities to later friendship qualities.
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Acknowledgments
Grant support: NICHD 1-P01-HD35470, NIH 5-U19-HD035470 and UA3 MC 11055 AIR-B from the Maternal and Child Health Research Program, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (Combating Autism Act Initiative), Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services.
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Freeman, S.F.N., Gulsrud, A. & Kasari, C. Brief Report: Linking Early Joint Attention and Play Abilities to Later Reports of Friendships for Children with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 2259–2266 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2369-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2369-x