YouTube as a service to support the population with autism spectrum disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic

With the suspension of in-person activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, YouTube may have become a source of support for the care of the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population. This research aimed to characterize videos from channels that addressed ASD on YouTube. The characterization considered technical aspects (image and sound clarity; speech intelligibility and language adequacy; consistency between title, description and video) and content (contextualization, discussion, reference and reflection on the topic). The procedure consisted of: channel selection; examination and classification of videos (qualitative analysis of videos) that addressed one or more of the following topics: definition and description of ASD; COVID-19 pandemic; instructional purpose; rights and services. Twelve channels were selected and 40 videos were analyzed. The 40 videos met the pre-established technical and content criteria, indicating that YouTube can be a support service for the population with ASD and their caregivers.