Mothers’ and practitioners’ insights on the use of digitally-mediated social stories with children on the autism spectrum: A convergent mixed-methods study

Abstract

BackgroundWhile 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. AimsThis 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 proceduresThis 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 resultsThe 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 implicationsDigitally-mediated SS has the potential to effectively address challenges related to intervention implementation whilst also empowering further the end-user.