Abstract
Studies have found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a higher rate of loneliness than their neurotypical (NT) peers despite a desire to engage in social interactions with others (Deckers, Roelofs, & Muris,. 2017; Deckers, Roelofs, Muris, & Rinck, 2014). The lack of social interactions in children with ASD is a result of core features of the disorder, including difficulty perceiving and engaging in typical social interactions as well as in exhibiting prosocial behaviors (Adamek et al., 2008; American Psychiatric Association, 2013; Barlow & Durand, 2015). These challenges often make it difficult for children with ASD to create and maintain friendships or participate in meaningful social interactions which can result in feelings of loneliness in the individual with ASD and greater degrees of social vulnerability compared to their NT peers. Social vulnerability (the inability to handle adverse situations due to a lack of interpersonal resources) leads to higher rates of physical abuse, sexual abuse, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts in people with ASD compared to the general population (Fisher, Moskowitz, & Hodapp, 2013; Hedley, & Uljarevic, 2018; Hoover, & Kaufman, 2018; Jawaid, Riby, Owens, White, Tarar, & Schulz, 2012; Reiter, Bryen, & Shachar, 2007). Therefore, to reduce feelings of loneliness and social vulnerability, it is important to provide children with ASD the opportunity to engage in meaningful social interactions with other children. The purpose of this project was to create, develop, and implement the FRIENDS model, an inclusive group music making program which aims to improve interactions between children with ASD and their NT peers. FRIENDS is intended to improve interactions by providing an inclusive setting, encouraging prosocial behaviors, and teaching NT children how to interact with those with ASD. The FRIENDS model was created by the student clinician and informs the interventions provided to the children to promote prosocial interactions. As program implementation progressed, the student clinician evaluated the effectiveness of the music interventions and the FRIENDS model and made changes based on program data collected. Finally, two case studies were written, one on a participant with ASD and a second on a NT participant. These case studies were written to better understand and evaluate the effectiveness of the methods used for this program.