Audiovisual Media Content Preferences of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Insights from Parental Interviews

Most research on the media use of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) focuses on media device use and less on content preferences of these children. We interviewed parents (N = 31) of children with ASD to examine parental observations of their children’s audiovisual media content preferences. Thematic analysis of the in-depth interviews found children with ASD preferred media content with features aimed at younger audiences. Parents also reported that content that fostered imitation was appealing to their children, occasionally with observable benefits (e.g., verbalizing words of favorite characters). Additionally, parents indicated that ease of control (e.g., content repetition) and ease of use (e.g., accessibility) made mainstream appealing to their children. Parents reported limited awareness of apps designed specifically for children with ASD.