Stability and change in social interaction style of children with autism spectrum disorder: A 4‐year follow‐up study

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical social behavior but vary in their social interaction style (SIS), ranging from social aloofness to awkward social approaches. In a 4‐year follow‐up study, we examined longitudinal stability and change of SIS in children and adolescents with ASD and a normal intellectual ability ( n = 55; mean age Time 1: 13 years; mean age Time 2: 17 years). Children's SIS was assessed with a parent questionnaire, the Wing Subtypes Questionnaire. As expected, most participants (69%) showed SIS stability across the 4‐year interval. Some participants (18%) shifted to a more typical or more active (but odd) SIS, while others (13%) shifted to a less typical or less active (but odd) SIS. A decrease in ASD symptoms predicted a shift toward a more typical or active SIS, but children's age and receptive verbal ability did not. SISs may be a meaningful way to create ASD subgroups and thus offer a promising research venue to further disentangle the heterogeneous autism spectrum. Autism Res 2020, 13: 74–81 . © 2019 The Authors. Autism Research published by International Society for Autism Research published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lay Summary People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate different social interaction styles (SIS), ranging from social aloofness to awkward social approaches. We examined if and how SIS changes across a 4‐year period in 55 children and adolescents with ASD (mean age Time 1 = 13 years; mean age Time 2 = 17 years). Most children (69%) showed the same SIS at both time points, indicating that SIS might be a relatively stable trait across adolescence.