Corporeal reflexivity and autism

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often associated with neurological motor challenges and repetitive behaviors.
• These behaviors can lead to social stigma and peer derision in school environments.
• Previous research in lab settings indicates potential difficulties in understanding social emotions like embarrassment among children with ASD.

Observation:

• Ethnographic video recordings capture high-functioning children with ASD in natural social settings.
• Detailed analysis focuses on body language, verbalizations, and reflexive responses to social situations.
• The study specifically examines a 9-year-old girl's playground interactions to understand her perspective on social rejection.

Findings:

• Children with ASD demonstrate corporeal reflexivity, showing awareness of their bodies as subjects and objects in social interactions.
• They exhibit moment-by-moment reflexive responses to social situations, including self-soothing movements and reactions to peer gaze.
• The research documents how autistic children become targets of stigma and reflect on their social rejection in real-time.

Implications:

• Video ethnography offers unique insights into the subjective experiences of autistic children, particularly their vulnerability to social gaze.
• Findings highlight the importance of understanding the first-person perspectives of children with ASD in social contexts.
• This research can inform interventions aimed at reducing stigma and supporting social integration for individuals with ASD.