“Friends Give Meaning to Life:” Reframing Friendship for Individuals with Autism that Type to Communicate

Main Article Content

Jessica K. Bacon
Fernanda Orsati
Scott Floyd
Hesham Khater

Keywords

friendships, communication, disability studies

Abstract

We, two able-bodied authors and two authors with autism, use a disability studies framework to understand our experiences of friendship. Taken from a series of recorded conversations over the course of a year, this project describes the development, maintenance, and complications related to our experiences with friendship, including: reframing of friendships, respect for communication, facilitator roles and support, interdependence and reciprocity, and permanency in relationships.

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