Nurturing the Neurodivergent: Unique Considerations for Youth Screen Use (
The unique needs of neurodivergent children and youth can often be overlooked, both in the development of technology and research on its impacts. Parents, educators, and caregivers are especially interested in how to support neurodivergent youth in maximizing their digital experiences and minimizing potential harms. In this #AsktheExperts webinar, an interdisciplinary panel comes together to share their research and lived experience, and to answer questions such as: How can we guide media use by neurodivergent youth that supports their socio-emotional and learning needs with a minimum of family conflict? What are particular considerations for school-based use of technology for neurodivergent youth?
[0:00) Introduction
Kris Perry, MSW, Executive Director of Children and Screens: Institute of Digital Media and Child Development, introduces the webinar and panel moderator Meryl Alper, PhD, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Northeastern University. Alper briefly discusses how studies that address inequality in children’s engagement with digital media tend to exclude disability and notes that race, gender, class, and gender play a role in how disability is experienced. She provides a brief overview of neurodiversity, general trends in media use of neurodiverse youth, and unique considerations.
[8:44] Kristen Harrison, PhD
Kristen Harrison, PhD, Richard Cole Eminent Professor of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina, addresses the use of media for sensory regulation in neurodiverse children and the potential benefits for youth with sensory challenges. Harrison shares the results of her research which examines parent-child media-related conflict by exploring relationships between sensory regulation preferences, sharing specific examples of parent experiences. She concludes with recommendations for parents looking to reduce conflict.
[20:13] LaChan Hannon, PhD
LaChan Hannon, PhD, Director of Teacher Preparation and Innovation in the Department of Urban Education at Rutgers University Newark and Co-founder of the Greater Expectations Teaching and Advocacy Center Inc., addresses what parents and educators need to know about the experiences of Black neurodivergent youth. Grounded in the lived experience of her son, she highlights the roles of context, content, and intersecting identities in how Black autistic youth interact with and understand digital media.
[33:17] Abigail Phillips, MLIS, SLIS, PhD
Abigail Phillips, MLIS, SLIS, PhD, Assistant Professor of Information Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, discusses cyberbullying and how to support neurodivergent youth. She explores differences and similarities between in-person bullying and cyberbullying and shares key terms commonly used by youth to help identify when cyberbullying is happening. She stresses the importance of teaching digital literacy and digital citizenship at an early age to combat cyberbullying.
[45:15] Annuska Zolyomi, PhD
Annuska Zolyomi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Computing and Software Systems at the University of Washington Bothell, provides an overview of nine design characteristics that can help technology be more supportive of neurodivergent youth and how parents, families, and educators can use these characteristics to identify helpful tech. She reviews these characteristics through specific examples in both Minecraft and Twitter, and concludes with a review of the benefits of neurodiverse-affirming technologies.
[57:34] Panel Q&A
Alper brings the panel together to answer questions from the live audience. Panelists discuss how schools and teachers can support neurodiverse students with increasing use of screens in schools, how parents can negotiate rules and expectations for individual children based on their unique needs, and the importance of broader protections at both platform and policy levels. The panel also shared their insights on how to prepare for challenges they may face in an online environment, and support them in the development of self-regulation and critical thinking skills to ensure safe and healthy experiences online.