Prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during interactions with their typically developing siblings

Yonat Rum, Ditza A. Zachor, Esther Dromi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This observational study focuses on prosocial behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during an interaction with their older, typically developing sibling (TD-Sibs). Twenty-eight sibling dyads, in which the younger sibling was diagnosed with ASD (ASD-Sibs), were video-recorded at home playing a game of their choice. Video recordings were microanalyzed, measuring frame-by-frame observational indices of prosocial behaviors. Siblings’ interactions were mostly collaborative. During the interaction, the older TD-Sibs initiated more actions and the younger ASD-Sibs imitated more. The frequency of the prosocial behaviors of the ASD-Sib was associated with the frequency of the TD-Sib’s prosocial behaviors. The findings emphasize the importance of sibling interactions as an opportunity for children with ASD to practice prosocial behaviors.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)293-298
Number of pages6
JournalInternational Journal of Behavioral Development
Volume45
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2021

Keywords

  • Prosocial behavior
  • RRBI
  • autism
  • interaction
  • microanalysis
  • sibling relationship
  • siblings

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Social Psychology
  • Education
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Life-span and Life-course Studies

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