Use of digital platforms by autistic children and young people for creative dress-up play (cosplay) to facilitate and support social interaction

Abstract

Autistic children and young people who find physical interaction challenging may feel more able to communicate in familiar environments. Communication and social interaction utilising digital online platforms and spaces may provide such an environment, with a comfortable level of engagement that can be relatively controlled. As blogs, vlogs, and online uploads are often live and up to date, these constitute useful first-hand perspectives, particularly for and from neurodiverse individuals who may find physical interaction and communication difficult and confusing.

As an initial source of their perspectives, together with the views of their stakeholders, thematic analysis of autistic authors and bloggers within the community was conducted from digital publicly available blog posts and published articles in relation to a particular activity - cosplay. Analysis was performed in relation to independent sole and group cosplay (dress-up) play activities within the physical home and digital online spaces to ascertain if, and if so, to what extent dress up creative and character cosplay is used by autistic individuals as a response to socio-spatial exclusions, to create own space within which to belong and exhibit agency.

Findings, using Grounded Theory for thematic analysis, revealed a connection between autistic children and young people's feeling of exclusion in socio-material space and their pursuit of activites that sought friendship and like-minded others online. Within these digital spaces autistic individual are finding means and the ability to communicate together. Digital spaces for cosplay practice are encouraging feelings of acceptance whilst also providing a platform to be themselves and feel confident to reach out to, and engage with others.