“Friends Give Meaning to Life:” Reframing Friendship for Individuals with Autism that Type to Communicate

Main Article Content

Jessica K. Bacon
Fernanda Orsati
Scott Floyd
Hesham Khater

Keywords

friendships, communication, disability studies

Abstract

We, two able-bodied authors and two authors with autism, use a disability studies framework to understand our experiences of friendship. Taken from a series of recorded conversations over the course of a year, this project describes the development, maintenance, and complications related to our experiences with friendship, including: reframing of friendships, respect for communication, facilitator roles and support, interdependence and reciprocity, and permanency in relationships.

Abstract 1561 | PDF Downloads 227 Word Downloads 149 Text Downloads 144

References

Abbott, S., & McConkey, R. (2006). The barriers to social inclusion as perceived by people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of intellectual disabilities, 10(3), 275-287.

Abery, B. H., & Fahnestock, M. (1994). Enhancing the social inclusion of persons with developmental disabilities. In M. F. Hayden & B.H. Abery (Eds.), Challenges for a service system in transition: Ensuring quality community experiences for persons with developmental disabilities, 83-119. Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.

Ashby, C. (2010). The trouble with normal: The struggle for meaningful access for middle school students with developmental disability labels. Disability & Society, 25(3), 345-358.

Ashby, C. E., & Causton-Theoharis, J. (2012). “Moving quietly through the door of opportunity”: Perspectives of College Students who Type to Communicate. Equity & Excellence in Education, 45(2), 261-282.

American Psychiatric Association. (2004). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

Baron-Cohen, S., Leslie, A. M., & Frith, U. (1985). Does the autistic child have a “theory of mind”?, Cognition, 21(1), 37-46.

Bauminger, N., & Kasari, C. (2000). Loneliness and friendship in high-functioning children with Autism, Child development, 71(2), 447-456.

Bérubé, M. (1996). Life as we know it: A father, a family, and an exceptional child. New York: Pantheon.

Biklen, D., & Attfield, R. (2005). Autism and the myth of the person alone. New York: NewYork University Press.

Biklen, D., & Burke, J. (2006). Presuming competence. Equity & Excellence in Education, 39(2), 166-175.

Bogdan, R., & Taylor, S. J. (1989). Relationships with severely disabled people: The social construction of humanness. Social problems, 36(2), 135-148.

Broderick, A. A., & Kasa-Hendrickson, C. (2001). “Say just one word at first”: The emergence of reliable speech in a student labeled with autism. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 26(1), 13-24.

Condeluci, A. (2014). Interdependence, inclusion and self-determination. Interaction: The Australian magazine on intellectual disability, 27(3), 8.

Crossley, R., & Remington-Gurney, J. (1992). Getting the words out: Facilitated communication training. Topics in Language Disorders, 12(4), 29-45.

Crossley, R. (1994). Facilitated communication training. New York: Teachers College Press.

French, S. & Swain, J. (2001). The relationship between disabled people and health and welfare professionals. In G.L. Albrecht, K.D. Seelman and M. Bury (Eds.), Handbook of Disability Studies. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Frith, U., & Happé, F. (1994). Autism: Beyond “theory of mind”. Cognition,50(1-3), 115-132.

Hehir, T. (2002). Eliminating ableism in education. Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 1-33.

Howard, B., Cohn, E., & Orsmond, G. I. (2006). Understanding and negotiating friendships Perspectives from an adolescent with Asperger syndrome. Autism, 10(6), 619-627.

Jacobs, P. (2002). Potential maximization: Toward a micro-sociological approach in disability studies. Disability Studies Quarterly, 22(1). 59-73. Retrieved from http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/336/420

Jobling, A., Moni, K. B., & Nolan, A. (2000). Understanding friendship: Young adults with Down syndrome exploring relationships. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 25(3), 235-245.

Kasa-Hendrickson, C., Broderick, A., & Hanson, D. (2009). Sorting out speech: understanding multiple methods of communication for persons with autism and other developmental disabilities. Journal of Developmental Processes, 4(2), 116-133.

Lutfiyya, Z. M. (1991). ‘A feeling of being connected’: Friendships between people with and without learning difficulties. Disability, Handicap & Society, 6(3), 233-245.

Mukhopadhyay, T. R. (2013). How can I talk if my lips don't move: Inside my autistic mind. New York: Arcade Publishing.

Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement—New social movements. In The Politics of Disablement. 112-131. Macmillan.

Rossetti, Z. S. (2011). “That's how we do it”: Friendship work between high school students with and without autism or developmental disability. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 36(1-2), 23-33.

Rubin, S., Biklen, D., Kasa-Hendrickson, C., Kluth, P., Cardinal, D. N., & Broderick, A. (2001). Independence, participation, and the meaning of intellectual ability. Disability & Society, 16(3), 415-429.

Savarese, R. J. (2007). Reasonable people: A memoir of autism & adoption: On the meaning of family and the politics of neurological difference. New York: Other Press.

Taylor, A. R., Asher, S. R., & Williams, G. A. (1987). The social adaptation of mainstreamed mildly retarded children. Child development, 1321-1334.

Taylor, S. J. (2006). Before it had a name: Exploring the historical roots of disability studies in education. In S. Danforth & S. L. Gabel (Eds.), Vital Questions Facing Disability Studies in Education. New York, NY: Peter Lang.

Thomas, C. (2007). Sociologies of disability and illness: Contested ideas in disability studies and medical sociology. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

US Department of Health and Human Services. (2006). The supply of direct support professionals serving individuals with intellectual disabilities and other developmental disabilities: A report to Congress. In Report to Congress. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from: https://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/supply-direct-support-professionals-serving-individuals-intellectual-disabilities-and-other-developmental-disabilities-report-congress

Van der Klift, E., & Kunc, N. (1994). Hell-bent on helping: Benevolence, friendship, and the politics of help. In J. Thousand, R. Villa, & A. Nevin (Eds.), Creativity and collaborative learning: A practical guide to empowering students and teachers, 21-28. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co.

Watt, K. J., Johnson, P., & Virji-Babul, N. (2010). The perception of friendship in adults with Down syndrome. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 54(11), 1015-1023.

Wendell, S. (2006). Toward a feminist theory of disability. In L.C. Davies (Ed.), The Disability Studies Reader, 243-256. New York, NY: Routledge.

Wurzburg, G. (2004). Autism is a world [Documentary]. Atlanta, GA: CNN Presents.

Similar Articles

1 2 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.