Board games have been loved for some time, and now research gives further solid validation of their popularity amongst people with autism. A set of studies led by the University of Plymouth has revealed insight into why these mass games are loved so much within the autistic community.
Five different studies, including two published in the American Journal of Play and the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, showed overrepresentation—way over—in people with autism within the board gaming community. The studies insinuated that a whole lot of modern board games, from Dixit to Werewolf, provided structured socializing that takes the stress off.
One worked with a sample of 1,600 board gamers from around the world, with a returned estimate of 7% diagnosed with autism, compared to 1% of the general population. Another high percentage gave 30% based on autistic traits measured by AQ scores.
In another study, 13 medically-diagnosed, autistic hobbyist board gamers shared their thoughts in-depth in interviews. For these gamers, board games represent something “comforting” and “stimulating,” which means playing the games allowed engaging in their passions and offers an alternative means for conducting social communications.
A third study introduced board gaming in groups of 28 autistic individuals who were all naive to the activity. Following the event, focus groups demonstrated that while the games were difficult, they did allow for the facilitation of personal growth and provided a unique avenue for which participants could increase and foster social relations.
The fourth and fifth were two-year-old intervention studies with a session of playing board games per week of one TIMERype. One group for TextInputType was an autistic adolescent SEN school group, while the other was of autistic adults, most of whom had intellectual disabilities, the other consisting of autistic adults, most with intellectual disabilities. The results showed that these game-playing sessions not only produced community but also independence and skill development in such subjects.
These findings not only help explain the appeal that board gaming holds for individuals with autism but also provide some valuable insights for the future design of well-being interventions. Board games, or even card games, are capable of providing structured, engaging socialization and therefore make a great contribution to enhancing the quality of life among individuals on the autism spectrum.