Davis, Paige E, Slater, Jessica orcid.org/0000-0002-7605-6460, Marshall, David orcid.org/0000-0001-5969-9539 et al. (1 more author) (2022) Autistic children who create imaginary companions:Evidence of social benefits. Autism. p. 13623613221092195. ISSN 1461-7005
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT: Research on neurotypical children with imaginary friends has found that those with imaginary friends have better social skills and are more able to think about how other people's minds work compared to children without imaginary friends. Research shows that some autistic children also create imaginary friends. This article is the first to look at whether or not autistic children with imaginary friends have stronger social skills and an improved ability to think about others' minds than those without imaginary friends. We asked parents to report about their children aged 5 to 12. Finding almost half reported their child had an imaginary friend, a much larger number than previous research with younger children. Our findings also suggested that autistic children with imaginary friends were better able to understand others' minds and had stronger social skills than their peers without imaginary friends. The children's language ability did not influence this. The findings of this study add to the evidence that with respect to the creation imaginary friends and their potential benefits, the play profiles of autistic children are similar to the general population. It also provides more evidence that the understanding of others' minds is not all or nothing in autism and gives reason for researchers to investigate whether the causes of these differences are the same or different for autistic children.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2022 |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Stockholm Environment Institute at York (York) The University of York > Faculty of Social Sciences (York) > Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 10 May 2022 14:20 |
Last Modified: | 03 Nov 2024 01:28 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/13623613221092195 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1177/13623613221092195 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:186691 |