Emily Chan
The team also interviewed 13 of the survey participants who had received an autism diagnosis about their experiences with board games and how the hobby made them feel.
They uncovered four main themes among the participants, including escapism and passions, systemizing, difficulties with deception, and using board games as a social lubricant.
Then, the researchers gathered a group of 28 people with autism who had not tried playing board games before.
After spending an afternoon engaging in the activity, they asked the group about their experience. Finally, the team analyzed the effects of weekly board gaming sessions that were held for two years in adolescents and adults with autism.
Although board games were found to be challenging, they also encouraged growth. Overall, participants reported feeling a sense of community and independence.
They felt they were able to learn new skills and had an alternative way of building social relationships.
“The findings as a whole aren’t a shock, but what is surprising is the lack of evidence underpinning board game use as an intervention for people with autism,” Atherton said.
“Hearing the feedback from the study participants was really motivating to try and push this forward in different settings.”
The researchers hope that board games can be used to improve the well-being of autistic individuals and that they become more accessible to this community.
The study was published in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.
