Friendship experiences of neurodivergent children and young people: A mixed-method systematic review

Friendships play a crucial role in the development and mental health of children and young people (CYP). Close and high-quality friendships are repeatedly shown to have long-term positive impacts on emotional wellbeing, academic success and social skills in neurotypical children (Monks & Rix, 2024). However, neurodiverse youth, including those with a diagnosis of autism spectrum conditions (ASC), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, and other developmental differences, often experience significant difficulties in initiating and maintaining peer relationships. Previous studies have investigated the social experiences of neurodiverse children in the context of friendship quality (O’Connor et al., 2022), social play (Morris et al., 2024; 2025), social acceptance (Jones et al., 2023), social connectedness (Tsou et al., 2024), and friendship experiences of autistic children (Fox & Asbury, 2024) and adolescents (Cresswell et al., 2019). Reviews in the field have also predominantly focused on the experiences of autistic children (Black et al., 2022; Fox et al., 2024), and there is a lack of a comprehensive review focusing on friendship experiences of CYP with various neurodevelopmental differences and across age ranges. This systematic review will strengthen our understanding of the lived experiences of neurodiverse CYP in peer relationships and identify best practices to support friendship formation for children and practitioners across a wide range of needs.