The Kind of Friend I Think I Am: Perceptions of Autistic and Non-autistic Young Adults

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 53; no. 8; pp. 3047 - 3064
• Main Author: Finke, Erinn H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic adults; Behavior; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Child and School Psychology; Empathy; Evaluation; Friendship; Interpersonal relations; Interpersonal Relationship; Linear analysis; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Public Health; Social aspects; Young Adults; United States; Friendship; Survey research; Autism; Young adults
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05573-4

Autistic people have different preferences for friendship than non-autistic people. The aims of the current project were to determine how autistic people prefer to behave in their friendships and how this compares to the friendship practices reported by non-autistic participants. Autistic (n = 102) and non-autistic (n = 107) young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years completed an online survey comprised of selected questions from the Friendship Questionnaire. Binary logistic regression and multivariate general linear modeling were used to analyze and compare the responses across the groups. Results identified differences in the preferred friendship practices between the participant groups, which may further confirm the Double Empathy Theory and provide a context for understanding the friendship normative practices of autistic people.