UC San Diego

This article presents a systematic review of the recent literature from 2005 onwards on the social participation of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in inclusive elementary and secondary schools. These students may experience particular challenges in social interaction and communication within mainstream settings, due to the specific characteristics associated with ASD. In the context of this review, social participation has been defined as a multidimensional concept including four key aspects: (1) friendships/relationships, (2) contacts/interactions, (3) ASD students' social self-perception, and (4) acceptance by classmates. This multidimensional framework has been adopted to examine how the inclusion of students with ASD in general K-12 settings shapes their social participation status. We reviewed 24 studies in relation to the four key aspects of social participation for the students with ASD. Overall, the results are mixed. On the whole, students with ASD have been found to maintain a lower social participation status within their schools, but some encouraging findings have also been reported, especially at the elementary school level. In the secondary school level, students with ASD were found to face more challenges in regards to peer social participation and interactions. Implications for special and inclusive practice and research are being discussed.