YOUNG CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER LEARNING EMOTION-RECOGNITION FROM ANIMATED MEDIA CONTENT

Research suggests children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can learn emotion-recognition from media content such as Thomas the Tank Engine due to idiosyncrasies related to ASD. However, this author argues the way media is crafted is the key element in determining successful learning. To investigate this phenomenon, a survey of parents with children with ASD was conducted asking about their child‟s relationship with media, what has been most successful in their home, whether they have favorites, and whether they believe their children are learning emotions from media. The survey also asked about viewing and post-viewing behaviors. Results indicated parents believe their children have a special relationship with characters they cannot duplicate with people, with favorites including Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Tank Engine, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Some parents saw better emotion-recognition after viewing. The most common behavior while viewing was “tuning out environmental distractors” and post-viewing was “repeating dialogue.”