Mothers' and practitioners' insights on the use of digitally-mediated social stories with children on the autism spectrum: A convergent mixed-methods study.
Tablet Social Stories make parents feel capable and speed up prep, but you still need data to check real child progress.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Callanan et al. (2021) asked moms and pros what they thought of tablet Social Stories. They used short surveys and group chats. Everyone had used the same app with autistic children.
What they found
Mothers felt more confident after using the app. Both groups said the digital stories saved time. Parents liked being able to make and share stories without waiting for a therapist.
How this fits with other research
Hanrahan et al. (2020) ran a small RCT first and saw real behavior gains with the same app. John’s team later asked users how it felt, not just if it worked.
Kokina et al. (2010) warned that plain paper Social Stories give only tiny effects. The new digital twist seems to lift parent confidence, but the weak core effect may still hold.
Lde Leeuw et al. (2024) went further and let autistic teens write their own digital stories. They also saw good results, showing the idea keeps growing.
Why it matters
If you use Social Stories, try the tablet version. Parents can create and edit stories on the spot, and they feel more in control. Keep measuring behavior, though, because user praise does not guarantee big skill gains.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: While end-user interest in digitally-mediated Social Story (SS) intervention for children on the autism spectrum is growing, research on the use of SSs in digital form is currently lacking. AIMS: This study aimed to investigate how digital-mediation can influence parents' and practitioners' attitudes towards the SS intervention as well as impact their perceived competence in their ability to administer the intervention. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: This study used a convergent mixed-method design. Nineteen participants (ten practitioners and nine mothers) participated in two focus group sessions. Participants then engaged with a digitally-mediated SS and completed a pre- and post-engagement survey measuring attitude, competence and user experience with the intervention. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The mothers' perceived competence ratings improved after engaging with digitally-mediated SSs. Mothers and practitioners also indicated that digitally-mediated SSs increased their perceived efficiency, while mothers felt it improved their autonomy and further empowered them as end-users. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Digitally-mediated SS has the potential to effectively address challenges related to intervention implementation whilst also empowering further the end-user.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104104