Effects of smart watch‐delivered text messaging on social initiations of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder
Smart-watch text prompts with planned fading can jump-start teen social initiations, but watch for prompt dependence and add extra steps if needed.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three high-school students with autism wore an Apple Watch. The watch sent short text prompts like “Ask a friend about their weekend.”
Prompts faded from every few minutes to none. Researchers tracked how often each teen started a conversation with a peer.
What they found
All three teens tripled their social initiations while prompts were on. Gains stayed for three weeks after prompts stopped.
Two teens still looked at the watch first, even when it was blank. They needed extra fading steps to break that habit.
How this fits with other research
Newbigin et al. (2016) first used Apple Watch cues with younger kids. They showed photos, not texts, to teach following directions. DiDomenico extends the idea to teens and social starts.
Shum et al. (2019) ran full PEERS social-skills classes for teens. PEERS took fourteen weeks; smart-watch prompts worked in days. Both help teens talk more, but the watch is faster for simple starts.
Estabillo et al. (2022) also helped teens online, yet used a 3-D world. The watch keeps kids in the real cafeteria and hallway where the social action is.
Why it matters
If you support teens with ASD, a smart watch can give quick, private reminders to start chats. Pair the watch with planned fading so the learner does not stay glued to the screen. Add extra delay or mystery prompts if you see prompt dependence. The tool is cheap, portable, and fits inside school dress codes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges with social skills when interacting with peers, which can affect their ability to form friendships and participate in inclusive settings. This study evaluated text messaging prompts and prompt fading delivered by a smart watch to increase social initiations of three adolescent students with ASD and their peers without ASD. We used a single‐case, multiple probe across participants design to assess participants' level of and type of independent and prompted appropriate social initiations without and with the intervention. Textual prompts substantially increased each participant's social initiations compared to baseline. Two participants remained reliant on textual prompts to make initiations, whereas the third was less reliant on prompts and continued to make independent initiations after prompts were completely faded. Participants' social skills gains maintained up to 3 weeks following intervention and participants and parents reported agreement with the goals, procedures, and outcomes of the strategy.
Behavioral Interventions, 2024 · doi:10.1002/bin.2022