Recent Blog Posts

Friendship and belonging are essential for middle school students (grades 6-9), shaping their well-being, identity formation, and academic engagement (Tsou et al., 2024). For neurodiverse youth, including children with autism, ADHD, and other developmental disabilities, structured opportunities to connect meaningfully with peers can reduce loneliness and enhance participation in a variety of activities (Hassani et al., 2022; Zanuttini & Little, 2022). Educators can foster belonging by embedding peer-mediated interventions, creating inclusive routines, and elevating student voice in the daily routines that are present in most middle schools (Biggs et al., 2023; Littlefair et al., 2024).

Friendship in the elementary years is more than just playing together; it is the foundation of feeling included and valued. Research shows that intentional opportunities for connection help all children, including neurodiverse students, build friendships while developing socially and academically (Biggs et al., 2023, 2025; McFadden et al., 2014).

Conversations around autism and neurodiversity continue to take place among researchers, practitioners, family members and the broader community. With this comes increased interest in having information that is thoughtful, accurate, and grounded in research. Over the years, we have highlighted different aspects of autism, and in this blog post we share resources and recommendations from leading scholars.