Kids Across the Spectrums: Supporting Autistic Children’s Friendships in the Digital Age

ABOUT THE PRESENTATION:

Young people on the autism spectrum often struggle to establish and maintain stable interpersonal relationships. Current research suggests that their social engagement with media has important differences from and similarities to usage of non-autistic children. While there is a growing body of work on the topic, no studies to date have used ethnography to understand the first-hand perspectives of autistic children with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, their understandings of friendship, and the role that different media forms play in their experience of peer relationships. Drawing on fieldwork from her latest book, Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023), Dr. Meryl Alper of Northeastern University will discuss opportunities and challenges for autistic children’s friendships online and offline, as well as offer reflections and parent tips on the shifting nature of friendship and implications for the social spaces that youth on the autism spectrum inhabit.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER:

Dr. Meryl Alper is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies and Affiliate Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Northeastern University, where she researches the social, cultural, and health implications of communication technologies, with a focus on disability, digital media, and children and families’ tech use. Dr. Alper is the author of Digital Youth with Disabilities (MIT Press, 2014) and the award-winning Giving Voice: Mobile Communication, Disability, and Inequality (MIT Press, 2017). Her latest book, Kids Across the Spectrums: Growing Up Autistic in the Digital Age (MIT Press, 2023), explores the often-misunderstood technology practices of young people on the autism spectrum. In her research and teaching, Dr. Alper also draws on nearly 20 years of professional experience in the children’s media industry as a researcher, strategist, and consultant with organizations such as Sesame Workshop, PBS KIDS, Nickelodeon, and Disney.

Tuesday, June 11th

5:30-6:30pm via Zoom

FREE!

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