This study aimed to qualitatively examine the process of establishing relationships between the child with autism spectrum disorder (henceforth referred to as the ASD child) and other children in integrated childcare settings and the role of childcare workers in establishing such relationships. For this study, we observed the four-year-old ASD child and analyzed the main episode in some scenes. The intervention of the caregiver in the interaction between the ASD child and the other children changed from “teaching the other child desirable behaviors” to “the other childʼs approach and the ASD child's response through play.” The inter vention of caregivers in the interaction between the ASD child and other children changed from “teaching both children specific ways to interact” to “watching children interact with each other and helping them as needed” and then to “mediating the interaction between children in play situations.” Furthermore, the relationship between the ASD child and other children and the change in the intervention of the caregivers affected both groups of children, suggesting that the overall three-way relationship between the ASD child, other children, and caregivers may continue to change with the changing relationship.
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