The Usage Patterns of Communication Via Email in Adolescents with Asperger Syndrome

The growth of the Internet has significantly impacted how we communicate. This is particularly true for adolescents. Individuals with Asperger syndrome have an interest in using computers and may communicate more easily using computer-mediated communication than using other modalities. This study examined how two adolescents with Asperger syndrome employed email for communication. An ethnographic tradition of inquiry revealed several themes relevant to their structural and functional use of email. Ethnographic interviews also revealed the participants' perceived benefits of using email. The participants' email usage was not very different from mainstream usage, suggesting the potential for use of this medium in intervention.