Through her work as a clinical psychologist 15 years ago, Micah Mazurek first became interested in understanding the role of technology in the lives of teens and adults on the autism spectrum.
At the time, online gaming was growing in popularity, and many of the teens she worked with were especially drawn to this media.
Mazurek learned a lot from these teens and their families as they shared about the role of screen-based media in their lives, including both positive and negative aspects of this technology. To learn more, Mazurek conducted a series of studies that focused on gaining a better understanding of the role of screen-based media in the lives of children and adults on the autism spectrum.
Mazurek and her colleagues used a variety of methods, including surveys, experimental studies and qualitative interviews to learn more about their perspectives and experiences with both video games and social media.

In a series of studies, Micah Mazurek and her colleagues used a variety of methods to learn more about the role of screen-based media in the lives of children and adults on the autism spectrum. (Photo by Dan Addison, University Communications)
Now, with people confined to their homes – and screens – more than ever due to the pandemic, the knowledge gleaned from that work has never been more germane.
UVA Today caught up with Mazurek – now an associate professor in the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development and the director of UVA’s Supporting Transformative Autism Research program – to learn more.
Q. What were some of your major findings from the studies? Any surprises?
A. One of the things we learned across several studies was that online gaming and social media can offer important social connections for autistic teenagers and adults. In one study of 108 autistic adults, we learned that most participants used social media (such as Facebook) for social connection, and that using social media was also associated with offline friendships.
Participants shared that they especially appreciated the fact that social media allowed them to engage with others without the demands of in-person social interactions. As one person said, “I feel more comfortable expressing myself” online. Another participant added that he used social media to “connect with others” without having to “worry about physical or in-conversation cues.”