Research and Development

Friendships are one of the most important social relationships in life, and the school is an important arena where children establish these. Despite the extensive research on friendships among students without disabilities, very few studies have explored the friendships among students with little or no functional speech who rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The aim of this study was to achieve a deeper understanding of friendships among students who use AAC in the Norwegian primary mainstream public school. It addressed the following research questions: (1) What characterizes friendships between students using AAC and their fellow students? (2) What factors in the school environment affect friendships between students using AAC and fellow students? (3) What is the role of students using AAC, fellow students, parents, and staff in the development of friendships among students who use AAC? The study consists of a systematic literature review and an empirical study of seven students using AAC. The results are reported in five papers. The data in the empirical study included semi-structured interviews with students using AAC, fellow students, parents of students using AAC, and staff. The transcriptions were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. The results from the empirical study formed the basis for the development of a grounded theory on friendships among students using AAC, informed by seven conceptual categories. The grounded theory includes preconditions for the students’ friendships at the following three levels: (1) The organizational and structural level (i.e., lacking common purpose, ambivalence and contradictions about structures, and visiting fellow students). (2) The interpersonal level (i.e., interactional facilitators and barriers). (3) The intrapersonal level (i.e., qualifying for friendships, demonstrating clear preferences). The issues at all levels influenced the development of few close social relationships among the students who used AAC. The discussion section includes theoretical implications, empirical implications, policy implications, and methodological reflections.