Plugged in: Electronics use in youth and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.
Youth with ASD are more prone to compulsive screen use and parents report bigger daily-life fallout.
01Research in Context
What this study did
van Timmeren et al. (2016) asked parents about electronics use. They compared youth with autism to typically developing peers.
Parents rated how hard it was to pull their child off games, phones, or tablets. They also noted daily-life problems caused by screen time.
What they found
Kids and young adults with ASD showed more compulsive use. Their parents saw bigger negative impact on sleep, homework, and family time.
The neurotypical group had fewer struggles when screen time ended.
How this fits with other research
Antaki et al. (2008) first mapped heavy screen use in ASD. van Timmeren et al. (2016) adds the idea that the use can turn compulsive.
Whitehouse et al. (2013) counted hours and found ASD kids clock more screen time. van Timmeren et al. (2016) shows extra hours come with sticky, hard-to-stop behavior.
Coskun et al. (2020) narrowed the lens to young adults with Asperger. They link tighter parental control to lower internet-addiction scores, backing the value of adult monitoring found in van Timmeren et al. (2016).
Lo et al. (2021) pooled 30 studies and called the evidence weak. Their caution reminds us that surveys like van Timmeren et al. (2016) flag risk, not final proof.
Why it matters
You now know screen time can hook harder in ASD. Build clear time limits into behavior plans. Teach replacement leisure skills such as Lego, drawing, or exercise. Loop parents in so rules stay the same at home and clinic.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although electronic technology currently plays an integral role for most youth, there are growing concerns of its excessive and compulsive use. This study documents patterns and impact of electronics use in individuals with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developing peers. Participants included 172 parents of typically developing individuals and 139 parents of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis, ranging in age from 6 to 21 years. Parents completed an online survey of demographics and the frequency, duration, and problematic patterns of electronics use in their youth and young adults. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder were reported to use certain electronics more often in the last month and on an average day, and had greater compulsive Internet and video game use than individuals without autism spectrum disorder. Across both samples, males used video games more often than females. Compared to parents of individuals without autism spectrum disorder, parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorder were significantly more likely to report that electronics use was currently having a negative impact. The implications of problematic electronics use for individuals with autism spectrum disorder are discussed.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2016 · doi:10.1177/1362361314566047