Young People With Autism Forge Meaningful Friendships
Actionplay members in action!
Every parent wants their child to develop strong friendships. Maintaining positive relationships with peers is a very important part of childhood development. For children with autism however, making friends can often be very challenging. The nonprofit organization Actionplay, has done everything in its power to eradicate these challenges.
Actionplay is an organization in which young people with autism or other disabilities collaborate with one another in writing and staging a musical. Every Sunday, group members edit scripts and fine tune characters for their production. Writing songs and blocking scenes is also a part of their Sunday routine. Some of the kids even go off site to have lunch together.
“You meet other people just like you.” Lexi Spindel shared with Scientific American.
The members have even begun a group chat, which they’ve named, “The Wrecking Crew”. Texting with a group of friends is a great way to maintain these relationships, but the camaraderie and communication doesn’t stop there. When “Frozen II” came out, six of the girls went together and had a spectacular time!
Actionplay gives these young people a place to be themselves, and make lasting connections with others who share the same interests. Lexi and Actionplay veteran Adelaide DeSole, 21, spent an incredible afternoon at the Spindles' apartment playing games and watching television together.
“That was the first time my daughter had a friend over, that never happened before Actionplay.” Lexi’s father, Jay Spindel, shared with Scientific American.
People with autism present emotions and process affection differently than others, and this can cause social disconnects. Everyone needs at least one companion for them to confide in. Even though navigating friendships can be difficult for young people with autism, they are completely capable of forming relationships with both neurotypicals and individuals on the autism spectrum. Digesting social information and handling conflict may be navigated differently by someone with autism, but it is these differences that make them unique.
“Nothing is impossible in terms of friendships for people with autism.“ Says Matthew Lerner, a psychologist at Stony Brook University in New York. He expressed this research to Scientific American.
Studies have shown that having meaningful friendships, or lack thereof can have a huge impact on our immune and cardiovascular systems. It has been proven that people with strong social connections live longer than those without. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic it may be harder for everyone to stay connected, but there are many technological advances that can help us keep this communication alive.