Fact · Accessibility and health
In a four-month smartphone study, adults with autism spectrum disorder preferred written over verbal communication, compared with neurotypical controls.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“We find ASD participants to prefer written over verbal communication”
Real world evidence for altered communication patterns in individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Mehran Turna, npj Digital Medicine, 2025, Abstract.
Open the original (DOI 10.1038/s41746-025-01545-x)- What it measures
- The authors passively logged communication apps for four months and sorted them as verbal, written or mixed. Autistic adults spent more time in written apps than neurotypical controls.
- What it does not show
- The measure is app use on phones, not dictation. Written apps include messaging that is not dictated, so the result does not show that speech input helps.