Silina O.V. Dynamics of Personal Boundaries in Children aged 3–7 years with Autism Spectrum Disorder
This work is licensed under a Сreative Commons Atribiution - NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Abstract
Personal boundaries are a convenient descriptive metaphor reflecting the interaction of personality and environment. The purpose of our research is to study and thoroughly describe the formation of this phenomenon in a group of children aged 3-7 years with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The study was conducted between 2016 and 2019 using qualitative methods (on-line observation, case study, simulation of situations) and involved 14 children who were diagnosed with ASD. The group composition and the study procedure remained unchanged for four years.
The children were asked to participate in the staging of various problem situations (violation of privacy, daily routine, etc.), which made it possible to describe both territorial behavior and to reflect the various manifestations of the phenomenon of personal boundaries (regulation, control, essence, ways of protecting personal boundaries). Statistical analysis showed the presence of dynamics in the development of personal boundaries in children with ASD. Personal boundaries of children in this group are perceived as a physical barrier that unambiguously separates spaces of different people. Another person (adult or child) is also a barrier that divides spaces. A close adult becomes a bearer of the personal boundaries of a child with ASD. The differences in the manifestation of personal boundaries for familiar and unfamiliar children are shown: a considerable degree of freedom and social experimentation in the first case is manifested (a wider range of ways to protect the personal boundaries, regulation and control are more vividly expressed), interaction with unfamiliar children appears threatening due to unpredictable behavior. The phenomenon of the personal boundary has qualitative uniqueness and high adaptive potential, ensuring psychological safety and integrity of children with ASD.
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