Asperger's at break-time

60% of children with autistic spectrum disorders in England are educated in mainstream school settings. Although children with Asperger's syndrome are able to cope with the academic demands of school work they do less well with the social demands of school such as interaction with peers, understanding rules and codes of conduct and what to do at break or lunch times when they are left to their own devices. Children typically spend a third of their time at school and a third of their school day outside the classroom yet so far there has been very little research on the social integration of pupils with Asperger's in mainstream schools. A study of 57 secondary-school children in Sheffield and Rotherham found that children with Asperger's engaged in fewer social interactions during the school day (both in and out of lessons), spent break and lunch times inside in quieter, more closely adult supervised areas of the school, reported having fewer friends, were less physically active and were more likely to be the targets of bullying although they did have as good an attendance record as the other children.

Wainscot, Jennifer J. ... [et al] - Relationships with peers and use of the school environment of mainstream secondary school pupils with Asperger syndrome (high-functioning autism): a case-control study International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy 2008, 8(1), 25-38