A board game through which players use images on cards to develop and tell their own stories could be particularly appreciated among people with autism as it offers a means to explain their thoughts and feelings, a new study has shown.
Dixit, an award-winning game published by the French company Libellud, invites participants to select one of 84 illustrated cards which they feel matches a title suggested by the designated storyteller.
For this study, researchers asked 35 autistic participants – split into groups of between five and eight – to place a card that they felt best described autism, and then being asked to explain the reasoning for their choices.
Analysing the responses, the researchers found the cards placed by participants covered three main themes:
- Challenges – where participants chose cards that spoke to the difficulties experienced by neurodiverse people, including symptoms of autism and their effects that resulted in anxiety and exclusion;
- Strengths – where participants chose cards that spoke to the unique traits of autistic people that make them excel in certain areas;
- Society – through which participants highlighted how people’s perceptions of autism created a divide between autistic and neurotypical people that exacerbated any challenges they may already experience.
Based on this, the researchers say that playing Dixit could be particularly effective for autistic people since rather than having to come up independently with inspiration, participants could use the cards to evoke emotions about their condition.
They also believe it and similar games could go some way to creating a conducive environment for learning about different life experiences, bridging the gap between autistic and neurotypical people.
The study was published in Discover Psychology, and led by
Dr Gray Atherton
and
Dr Liam Cross
from the
School of Psychology
at the University of Plymouth.
Dr Gray Atherton
Dr Liam Cross
