Abstract
We examined social and behavioral characteristics of children selected by their teachers to serve as peer buddies for a child with autism. Thirty-one general education teachers and 576 children from five public elementary schools completed social status, behavioral, and peer buddy nomination measures. When compared to non-selected students, teacher selected buddies were: (a) more often boys, (b) popular, and (c) viewed as prosocial leaders by their peers. Agreement between teacher and peer nominations of social status and behavioral characteristics ranged from low to high; agreement between teacher and peer selected buddies was moderate.
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The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of Drs. Stephen Olejnik and Michele Lease who helped with creating measures and analyzing data. The paper is based upon the first author’s doctoral dissertation.
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Jackson, J.N., Campbell, J.M. Teachers’ Peer Buddy Selections for Children with Autism: Social Characteristics and Relationship with Peer Nominations. J Autism Dev Disord 39, 269–277 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0623-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-008-0623-1