“To Be Quite Honest, If It Wasn't for Videogames I Wouldn't Have a Social Life at All”: Motivations of Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder for Playing Videogames as Leisure

Purpose Leisure activities are underutilized as a context for intervention in the field of speech-language pathology despite the fact that leisure can be an important context for skill development. The current study investigated the perceptions of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who play videogames as their primary leisure activity regarding the role of videogames in their lives and their motivations for playing videogames. Method Qualitative interview methodology was used to investigate the experiences of 10 18–24-year-olds with ASD. Information was collected about the role of videogames in the lives of adolescents and young adults with ASD and the perceived benefits of playing videogames. Results Results indicated the participants perceived playing videogames to have a positive impact on their lives and their development. The motivations for playing videogames described are similar to those reported by typically developing populations. Conclusions Videogaming is a popular leisure pursuit for adolescents and young adults with and without ASD. Speech-language pathologists should consider how videogame play may be a useful context for teaching new communication, social, and language.