Online expression tool to help autistic children
I thought this was an interesting use of interactive technology; it’s a java applet placed online that allows the user to manipulate a face to create expressions. It’s designed to help children who have difficulty in reading expresssions to recognise and understand emotions on the faces of others.
The tool is one of the list on ‘Do to Learn’’s site (http://www.dotolearn.com/); it’s Facial Expressions. The direct link is http://www.dotolearn.com/games/facialexpressions/face.htm
One user wrote in talking about her son:
“My son has a great deal of difficulty “reading” people’s nonverbal expressions, and this game seemed a perfect tool for him. He played with the game here and there for about a month and I wasn’t sure if he was getting anything out of it. Then one day he came in and told me about something unexpected that happened at school. I asked if his teacher was surprised. He pondered a moment, then said, “Why yes! She was very surprised! Her eyebrows went up and her mouth made into an oh!” CLICK! That was the first time he related a facial expression” with an emotion!“