Social CommunicationAcceptabilityAutism & Neurodivergent

Qualitative feasibility study (JADD 2024): focus groups with 8 autistic adolescents (ages 12-17) + 5 parents on VR-delivered social skills programs - 7 primary themes identified through open thematic coding

Kim S et al. · 2024 · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · Qualitative · n = 13 · Autistic adolescents aged 12-17 (n=8) and parents (n=5) · DOI
Evidence certainty: Moderate certainty
How this was rated

Qualitative feasibility design with structured thematic analysis (open thematic + inductive coding). Modest sample (8 autistic adolescents + 5 parents, 5 focus groups) - typical for qualitative feasibility work but limits generalizability claims. Peer-reviewed in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Springer, top peer-reviewed autism research journal). Limitations: small sample; community-recruited rather than clinical-population sample; English-language single-site likely (US).

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A qualitative study published in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders exploring the feasibility of VR-delivered social skills programs for autistic youth. Eight autistic adolescents (ages 12-17) and five parents participated across five focus groups, with semi-structured interview format. Open thematic analysis with inductive coding produced seven primary themes covering adolescent and parent perceptions of social skills development needs, attitudes toward VR-delivered interventions, and concerns/desires for clinical implementation. Critical adolescent-voice work for the autism+VR field.

Clinical bottom line

A 2024 qualitative feasibility study in JADD on VR-delivered social skills programs for autistic adolescents (ages 12-17). The study centers autistic youth voice plus parent perspectives - critical methodologically because most prior autism+VR work designed interventions FOR autistic users without consulting their preferences. For SLPs and special-education clinicians designing or evaluating VR programs for autistic adolescents, this provides the qualitative grounding to inform feature selection, scenario design, and clinical adoption strategy.

Key findings

  • Qualitative feasibility study published 2024 in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Springer)
  • Sample: 8 AUTISTIC ADOLESCENTS aged 12-17 + 5 PARENTS, across 5 focus groups - centers autistic voice methodology
  • Semi-structured interview format; open thematic analysis with inductive coding process
  • Seven primary themes with sub-themes identified throughout the qualitative analysis (specific themes reported in published article)
  • Coverage of adolescent perceptions about social development needs, attitudes toward VR-delivered interventions, and clinical-implementation concerns/desires
  • Methodological strength: most prior autism+VR work designed interventions FOR autistic users without consulting their preferences; this study explicitly centers autistic adolescent voice + parent perspectives
  • Complements the Newbutt 2020 autistic-child-centered school VR study (in our Hub) with adolescent-population qualitative depth
  • Same publication venue as McCleery 2026, Kandalaft 2013, Smith 2014, Bailey 2022, Altın 2025 - JADD is our most-cited single venue for autism+VR

Background

Autism+VR research has historically designed interventions for autistic users without consulting their preferences. Newbutt 2020 (in our Hub) established the value of centering autistic-child voice for VR HMD acceptability in schools. Kim et al. 2024 extends this user-centered approach to the adolescent age range with a qualitative focus-group design.

What they did and found

Eight autistic adolescents aged 12-17 + five parents participated in five focus groups using a semi-structured interview format. Open thematic analysis with inductive coding identified seven primary themes (specific themes in published article) covering adolescent perceptions of social development needs, attitudes toward VR-delivered interventions, and clinical-implementation concerns.

Why it matters

User-centered grounding for designing VR-based social-skills interventions targeting autistic adolescents. Critical companion to Newbutt 2020 (autistic-child voice) for developmental-range coverage.

Limitations

Small qualitative sample (n=13 total). Community-recruited, single-region. No clinical efficacy claims (this is feasibility/acceptability work).

Implications for practice

For SLPs and special-education clinicians designing or evaluating VR programs for autistic adolescents (ages 12-17), this qualitative study provides the user-centered grounding to inform feature selection, scenario design, and adoption strategy. The seven themes structure should guide clinical needs-assessment and intervention planning. Use alongside Newbutt 2020 (Welsh/UK autistic-child-centered school VR study) for full developmental coverage. For Therapy withVR product design targeting autistic adolescent users, this paper offers the most recent peer-reviewed adolescent-voice evidence.

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Cite this study

If you reference this study in your work, the canonical citation formats are:

APA 7th
Kim, S., Johnson, A. R., Wolpe, S. M., & Volodina, E. (2024). Exploring the Feasibility of Social Skills Programs for Autistic Youth Through Virtual Reality. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-024-06571-4.
AMA 11th
Kim S, Johnson AR, Wolpe SM, Volodina E. Exploring the Feasibility of Social Skills Programs for Autistic Youth Through Virtual Reality. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. 2024. doi:10.1007/s10803-024-06571-4.
BibTeX
@article{kim2024,
  author = {Kim, S. and Johnson, A. R. and Wolpe, S. M. and Volodina, E.},
  title = {Exploring the Feasibility of Social Skills Programs for Autistic Youth Through Virtual Reality},
  journal = {Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders},
  year = {2024},
  doi = {10.1007/s10803-024-06571-4},
  url = {https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/kim-2024}
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Kim, S.
AU  - Johnson, A. R.
AU  - Wolpe, S. M.
AU  - Volodina, E.
TI  - Exploring the Feasibility of Social Skills Programs for Autistic Youth Through Virtual Reality
JO  - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
PY  - 2024
DO  - 10.1007/s10803-024-06571-4
UR  - https://withvr.app/evidence/studies/kim-2024
ER  -

Know of research that should be in this hub? If a relevant peer-reviewed study is not listed here, send the reference to hello@withvr.app. The hub is kept up to date as the literature grows.

Funding & independence

Affiliations: lead author Sunny Kim (university 1, US); Johnson, Wolpe, Volodina (related universities). Specific funding sources reported in published article. Peer-reviewed in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Springer). No withVR BV involvement.

Last reviewed: 2026-05-17 Next review due: 2027-05-17 Reviewed by: Gareth Walkom