Animation helps autistic children make eye contact

LONDON: Whatever the roots of autism - and the searching and debating go on - the way it shows itself to the world is above all as a social disability: Levels of academic intelligence among those with autism may vary, but all share a reduced capacity to recognize emotions and interpret the expressions on other people's faces.

Autistic children find eye contact uncomfortable, and gaze-avoidance in babies can be one of the earliest signs that something is amiss. But in what is believed to be the first animation series aimed specifically at the very young autistic child, a cartoon cast of toy vehicles called The Transporters has been invented. Their on-screen adventures are aimed at giving such children practice in observing expressions, perhaps awakening in them the beginnings of empathy.

George and Sam, my two autistic sons, are now 16 and 15, but are not averse to goggling at the old videos that played a huge part in their childhood Rosie and Jim, Tots TV, Pingu, Postman Pat et al. Any slight understanding of social interaction they do have has often been garnered from these simple repetitive stories: Postman Pat is worried because he can't find his cat; oh dear, Pingu has wet himself, his mom is cross... that sort of thing. Comprehending such situations came quickly and early to my non-autistic son Jake, but his older brothers can get there only through constant rewindings.