Autism shapes social integration and reciprocity in elementary classrooms
Image credit: CRiSS-LABAbstract
This study examines social dynamics in elementary classrooms using experimental game theory and social network analysis. Across 26 classrooms and 625 students, the analysis shows that autistic children and children with special educational needs are less central and less involved in reciprocal peer relationships than students without special educational needs, highlighting the importance of evidence-based approaches to social inclusion.
Melanie Oyarzún
Postdoctoral Fellow, Corvinus University of Budapest
Cristian Candia
Associate Professor, Data Science Institute, School of Engineering, Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile. Head of CRiSS-LAB.
Cristian Candia studies how societies transform information into collective relevance through attention, memory, preferences, and coordination. His work combines computational social science, network science, AI, and large-scale behavioral data to understand how groups, institutions, and societies decide what matters.
