Engagement with Electronic Screen Media Among Studentswith Autism Spectrum Disorders

摘要

This study investigated the relative engagementpotential of four types of electronic screen media (ESM):animated video, video of self, video of a familiar personengaged with an immersive virtual reality (VR) game, andimmersion of self in the VR game. Forty-two students withautism, varying in age and expressive communicationability, were randomly assigned to the experimental con-ditions. Gaze duration and vocalization served asdependent measures of engagement. The results revealdifferential responding across ESM, with some variationrelated to the engagement metric employed. Preferencesfor seeing themselves on the screen, as well as for viewingthe VR scenarios, emerged from the data. While the studydid not yield definitive data about the relative engagementpotential of ESM alternatives, it does provide a foundationfor future research, including guidance related to partici-pant profiles, stimulus characteristics, and data codingchallenges.