Opportunities and Challenges in Developing Technology-Based Social Skills Interventions for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis of Parent Perspectives.
Roxanne N Rashedi, Kemberlee Bonnet, Rebecca J Schulte and 8 others
PMID 34637019WHAT IT FOUND
Parents described technology as a double-edged sword for their adolescents with autism.
It offered calm and creative control, but also triggered meltdowns when things went wrong and encouraged withdrawal from real-world interaction.
Key findings
01Parents reported that technology often served as a self-soothing mechanism for adolescents after a long day, providing a sense of calm and relaxation.
02Conversely, parents described that technical glitches or losing a game could trigger dysregulation, meltdowns, and explosive frustration in their adolescents.
03When asked what social skills they wanted their adolescents to develop, parents prioritized self-regulation (impulse control, emotion regulation) and interpersonal sensitivity (reading nonverbal cues, understanding context).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (18 parents), limiting generalizability. Data was collected solely from parents, not the adolescents themselves, which may miss the users' own perspectives on their experience. The study was nested within a specific project developing a game for adolescents with ASD who have limited support needs in academics, so findings may not apply to adolescents with greater cognitive or functional support needs. Parents may underestimate or overestimate their child's technology use and its effects.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these findings as evidence that technology-based interventions improve social skills. This was a qualitative study of parent perspectives, not a clinical trial testing an intervention's efficacy.