Exploring the role of interpersonal contexts in peer relationships among autistic and non-autistic youth in integrated education

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Chen, Y. L., Schneider, M., & Patten, K. (2022). Exploring the role of interpersonal contexts in peer relationships among autistic and non-autistic youth in integrated education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 946651-946651. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.946651

Journal or book title
Frontiers in Psychology
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Volume
13
Pages
946651-946651
Article number
946651
Publication date: 22 Jul 2022 Added to AutiHub: 21 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) Full text OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Yu-Lun Chen
  2. Maxwell Schneider *
  3. Kristie Patten

Abstract

The double empathy problem theory posits that autistic social difficulties emerge from an interpersonal misalignment in social experiences and expectations between autistic and non-autistic people. Supporting this, emerging research reveals better social outcomes in interactions within than across neurotypes among autistic and non-autistic people, emphasizing the need to examine the role of the interpersonal context in autistic social outcomes. However, research on peer relationships among autistic youth primarily focuses on individual characteristics in isolation from the interpersonal context. To address this, this preliminary study explored the effects of student-peer neurotype match on peer relationships among autistic and non-autistic youth in an integrated educational setting. We plotted the peer relationship networks among youth in a school club based on systematic observations of peer interactions over eight 45-min sessions. Descriptive network statistics (node degree and strength) showed that both autistic and non-autistic youth had more and stronger peer relationships with their same- than cross-neurotype peers. Assortativity coefficients revealed a tendency for youth to connect with peers of the same neurotype, rather than with peers with similar social popularity or activity. We further modeled the effects of student-peer neurotype match on peer relationships using exponential random graph models. The findings suggested that student-peer neurotype match predicted the total strength of peer relationships above and beyond the effects of student neurotype, individual heterogeneity in social popularity and activity, and the tendency of mutuality in social relationships. We discussed the strengths and limitations of this study and the implications for future research and inclusion practice.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 3 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
53
With a DOI
46
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
6
5 / 53 (9.4%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
5 / 53 (9.4%)
References with detected author names
51 / 53 (96.2%)
Without detected author names
2
Without a structured title
3
Without a stable identifier
5
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
151
From DOI or external metadata
151
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
58 / 151 (38.4%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 93 / 151 (61.6%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
5 / 151 (3.3%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 5 / 58 (8.6%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 5 / 115 (4.3%).
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