Using Computer Tablets to Assess Preference for Videos in Children with Autism
A five-minute tablet quiz reliably spots videos that will work as reinforcers for kids with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five children with autism watched short video clips on a tablet.
Each child tapped the clip they liked best.
The whole test took five minutes.
Later, the kids could sit in one chair that played their top video or another chair that played a less-liked clip.
Researchers watched which chair they chose and how long they stayed.
What they found
Every child sat longer in the chair that showed their top video.
The tablet pick matched the real-life choice.
The quick tablet test found a video that worked as a reinforcer.
How this fits with other research
A 2008 survey by C et al. already showed kids with autism love animated screen media.
Chebli et al. turned that parent report into a quick, formal test.
Morris et al. (2023) later reviewed many studies and concluded video-based preference checks best predict reinforcer strength.
Their finding backs the 2016 tablet method.
Kamlowsky et al. (2025) added a twist: social interaction during assessment can boost reinforcer power.
Their result does not cancel the tablet test; it shows you can make the chosen video even stronger by watching it together.
Why it matters
You can now find a powerful video reinforcer in five minutes with nothing more than a tablet.
No toys to sort, no paper data sheets.
Run the clip pick before therapy starts, then use the chosen video as a reward during drills.
If motivation dips, add social praise while the video plays to squeeze out extra reinforcing power.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Using computer tablets, we assessed preference for videos in five children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Then, we provided access to most preferred and less preferred videos contingent on sitting on one of two chairs within a concurrent schedule design. All participants spent consistently more time sitting on the chair associated with the video selected the most often during the preference assessment, indicating that practitioners may use the tablet-based assessment procedure to identify potential video reinforcers for children with ASD in applied settings.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2016 · doi:10.1007/s40617-016-0109-0