Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

DOI

10.1177/20552076241304885

Publication Title

Digital Health

Volume

10

Pages

20552076241304885 (1-13)

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and duration of technology use by autistic children, their primary activities when engaging with technology, and the association between technology use and quality of life. We assumed that technology serves as a means of communication with peers, and it is associated with an improved quality of life.

Methods

The study sample consisted of 61 parents of autistic children aged 5-10 years old. The Quality of Life for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Scale was used to measure children's quality of life based on parent report, and the Technology Use Scale was used to measure the amount of time spent using technology and its purpose. Data collected were analyzed to identify correlations between technology use and quality of life.

Results

Findings indicate that autistic children primarily use technology for relaxation purposes and a smaller proportion of children in the sample used technology for socialization. A positive correlation was found between technology use for social interactions and higher parental perceptions of quality of life. These findings suggest that while social use of technology is less frequent, it is associated with improved well-being.

Conclusions

We concluded that technology use among autistic children is predominantly for leisure activities; however, when used for socialization, it is linked to a better perceived quality of life. Future research should further explore the specific benefits and potential risks of technology use for communication and socialization in autistic children. Additionally, the efficacy of technology-based interventions in improving social skills and overall well-being should be evaluated.

Rights

© 2024 The Authors.

Published under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are not publicly available due to sensitive information gathered from the participants (i.e. diagnosis) but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request."

Comments

© 2024 The Authors

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/ open-access-at-sage).

Original Publication Citation

Costescu, C., Tufar, I., Chezan, L., Șogor, M., & Confederat, A. (2024). Assessing technology usage in relation to the quality of life of autistic children. Digital Health, 10, 1-13, Article 20552076241304885. https://doi.org/10.1177/20552076241304885

Share

COinS