Understanding perspectives: a narrative inquiry exploring friendship, social interaction, and relationship-building experiences with an Autistic child

Abstract

Although children who are autistic have unique experiences that can inform social skill strategies, their perspectives are often not exclusively focused on in research studies. This qualitative study explores insights into effective relationship/friendship-building methods by listening to the stories of a twelve-year-old child who has autism. This narrative inquiry seeks to understand the perspectives and expectations that an autistic child may have when it comes to their social interactions, friendships, and teacher relationships. Stories include experiences in both mainstream and special education school programs. Data collection involved two semi-structured interviews, and data analysis used coding via inductive reasoning to develop themes. Four themes emerged from the data: exploring relationship-building, peer interactions, teacher modelling, and how perceptions can lead to emotional and behavioural responses. This study offers an example of research that can be conducted with a child who has autism, and suggests ideas for further exploration with attention to teaching practice related to fostering friendships for autistic students.