Capturing variability in use of commercial technologies by children with autism can inform future learning and support technology design. Survey data were collected from parents (n = 388) in the UK, Spain, and Belgium, and includes information about individuals with a range of ages and ability levels. We found a comparable pattern of access and usage across age groups, though higher reading and language ability was linked to use of more devices and interfaces. Reported worries about technology correlated with longer time spent using technology. Autistic people use mainstream technologies for a broad range of recreational uses. The data suggest that technologies developed with therapeutic goals in mind may need to achieve a high standard of design to engage users.
The dataset is from a survey of parents of autistic children asking them about their autistic child's technology use in the home. We include a processed dataset (including demographic, technology reports, and answers about attitudes) and relevant analysis scripts (in RMarkdown), as well as an English copy of the survey.