Brief Report: Structured and Unstructured Social Opportunities for Autistic Students in Elementary Educational Settings.

IF 2.8 2区心理学 Q1 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Pub Date : 2025-06-11 DOI:10.1007/s10803-025-06916-7

Daina M Tagavi, Emily S Kim, Jill Locke

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Purpose: This study explored the structured and unstructured social opportunities available to autistic students in public elementary schools. Specifically, it examined the amount and types of social opportunities provided by teachers, as well as the relationship between grade level and pull-out special education support on these opportunities.

Methods: Participants included 27 autistic students from 12 public elementary schools. Teachers provided student school schedules, which were coded to quantify structured (e.g., small group work) and unstructured (e.g., recess) peer interaction opportunities. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the amount and types of social opportunities, and linear regressions examined whether grade level and pull-out special education support predicted teacher-reported time spent in these activities.

Results: On average, teachers reported that students spent 62.4 min per day (~ 17% of the school day) in unstructured social activities and 114.8 min per day (~ 31% of the school day) in structured social activities. Grade level significantly predicted unstructured social time, with students in grades K-2 receiving more unstructured peer opportunities than those in grades 3-5. However, grade level did not predict structured social time, and pull-out special education support was not a significant predictor of either structured or unstructured social time.

Conclusions: These findings underscore the importance of teacher-facilitated peer interactions during unstructured times in early elementary years and point to opportunities for embedding social supports within these naturalistic contexts. Given the substantial amount of structured social time teachers report planning for their students, interventions leveraging these interactions may also support social development. Future research should examine the quality of these social interactions and their long-term impact on autistic students' peer relationships and social outcomes.

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简要报告：基础教育环境中自闭症学生的结构化和非结构化社会机会。

目的：探讨公立小学自闭症学生的结构化与非结构化社交机会。具体而言，它考察了教师提供的社会机会的数量和类型，以及年级水平与退出这些机会的特殊教育支持之间的关系。方法：研究对象为来自12所公立小学的27名自闭症学生。教师提供学生的学习时间表，这些时间表被编码为量化结构化（如小组工作）和非结构化（如课间休息）的同伴互动机会。描述性分析用于确定社会机会的数量和类型，线性回归检验年级水平和退出特殊教育支持是否预测教师报告的在这些活动中花费的时间。结果：教师报告学生平均每天花62.4分钟（约占上课时间的17%）在非结构化社会活动上，每天花114.8分钟（约占上课时间的31%）在结构化社会活动上。年级水平显著预测非结构化社交时间，K-2年级的学生比3-5年级的学生获得更多的非结构化同伴机会。然而，年级水平不能预测结构化社会时间，退出特殊教育支持对结构化或非结构化社会时间都没有显著的预测作用。结论：这些发现强调了在小学早期非结构化时期教师促进同伴互动的重要性，并指出了在这些自然环境中嵌入社会支持的机会。考虑到教师为学生规划的大量结构化社会时间，利用这些互动的干预措施也可能支持社会发展。未来的研究应该检查这些社会互动的质量，以及它们对自闭症学生的同伴关系和社会结果的长期影响。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL-

CiteScore

8.00

自引率

10.30%

发文量

433

期刊介绍： The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders seeks to advance theoretical and applied research as well as examine and evaluate clinical diagnoses and treatments for autism and related disabilities. JADD encourages research submissions on the causes of ASDs and related disorders, including genetic, immunological, and environmental factors; diagnosis and assessment tools (e.g., for early detection as well as behavioral and communications characteristics); and prevention and treatment options. Sample topics include: Social responsiveness in young children with autism Advances in diagnosing and reporting autism Omega-3 fatty acids to treat autism symptoms Parental and child adherence to behavioral and medical treatments for autism Increasing independent task completion by students with autism spectrum disorder Does laughter differ in children with autism? Predicting ASD diagnosis and social impairment in younger siblings of children with autism The effects of psychotropic and nonpsychotropic medication with adolescents and adults with ASD Increasing independence for individuals with ASDs Group interventions to promote social skills in school-aged children with ASDs Standard diagnostic measures for ASDs Substance abuse in adults with autism Differentiating between ADHD and autism symptoms Social competence and social skills training and interventions for children with ASDs Therapeutic horseback riding and social functioning in children with autism Authors and readers of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders include sch olars, researchers, professionals, policy makers, and graduate students from a broad range of cross-disciplines, including developmental, clinical child, and school psychology; pediatrics; psychiatry; education; social work and counseling; speech, communication, and physical therapy; medicine and neuroscience; and public health.