‘I can actually do it without any help or someone watching over me all the time and giving me constant instruction’: Autistic adolescent boys' perspectives on engagement in online video gaming

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Pavlopoulou, G., Usher, C. J., & Pearson, A. (2022). ‘I can actually do it without any help or someone watching over me all the time and giving me constant instruction’: Autistic adolescent boys' perspectives on engagement in online video gaming. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 40(4), 557-571. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjdp.12424

Publication date: 28 May 2022 Added to AutiHub: 6 Jul 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 3 (33.3%)
  1. Georgia Pavlopoulou
  2. Claire J. Usher
  3. Amy Pearson *

Abstract

Research into autistic adolescents' engagement in online gaming has so far focused on time spent gaming, or characterizing problematic gaming behaviour and has relied mostly on caregiver report. In the current study, we interviewed 12 autistic adolescent boys, asking about their perspectives on their engagement in online gaming, and their motivations. We analysed the interview data using thematic analysis and identified three key themes in the data, which focused on agency and a sense of belonging, emotion regulation, and acknowledgement of the differing perceptions that the young people and their caregivers had of gaming. Our findings show the need to include the viewpoints of autistic young people in research about their interests and well-being, and provide insights that can help caregivers and professionals to support autistic young people in flourishing.

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These indicators describe the cited bibliography imported for this publication. Cited-reference metrics use the cited-reference total as denominator. Cited-author metrics state whether they use all cited-author occurrences or only occurrences linked to authors already integrated in the AutiHub database. They use cached links between cited authors and authors integrated in the AutiHub database. Last computed: 16 Aug 2026 11:31.

Cited references
58
Total cited references integrated for this publication.
Cited references with an identified autistic author
6 / 58 (10.3%)
Cited author occurrences identified as autistic
8 / 159 (5.0%)
Among occurrences linked to AutiHub author records: 8 / 34 (23.5%). Distinct cited authors identified as autistic: 7 / 149 (4.7%).
Cited author occurrences linked to AutiHub author records
34 / 159 (21.4%)
Distinct linked cited authors: 28 / 149 (18.8%)
Linked cited-author occurrences not identified as autistic
26 / 34 (76.5%)
Among linked cited-author occurrences only. Across all cited-author occurrences: 26 / 159 (16.4%). Distinct linked cited authors not identified as autistic: 21 / 28 (75.0%).
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