In Sarah DeWeerdt’s Can Science-Based Video Games Help Kids with Autism, lab directors Jeanne Townsend and Leanne Chukoskie are introduced, and their research on video games for autism is shown in detail.

The Research on Autism and Development (RAD) Lab has been part of growing research on video-game development in the search of different methods that may help people with autism. Common features in video games like predefined roles, predefined goals, and repetitiveness go hand in hand with autistic traits like social difficulties and routine-oriented behavior. When it was found that kids with autism are heavily drawn to technology, professors wanted to utilize this knowledge and design interventions, like video games, to help aid children in certain behaviors that can be challenging. Recently, research has shown that there have been promising results from games designed to help children with autism. Abilities like balance, attention, and gaze control have all seen significant improvement as a result of these games. 

Interestingly, in this article, there are four levels discussed to discuss the characteristics of these games. Level 1: gamify. Professor Linstead stated, “if you want an effective intervention, you gamify it, you need to make it fun for kids.” In this level, a game called “Let’s Face It” was discussed to show how facial expression recognition improved from consistent gameplay. Other games like “Mole Whack,” “Shroom Digger,” and “Space Race” were also mentioned to show how balance and other motor skills could be improved from more interactive games. Level 2: Achieve ‘transfer.’ Essentially, anyone who plays a video game long enough will get better at playing that particular game. Level 3: account for autism. When creating these games, the scientists have to be careful not to make the games too compelling. Adults and children with autism may be overwhelmed by the temptation to stay in the virtual world. Adults with autism are way more prone to compulsive video gameplay than adults without autism. I never thought about this before, but when marketing video games, the professors/researchers have been changing the verbiage to “training or project” rather than “game.” Level 4: immersive world. Video games can have a lot of other benefits for people on the spectrum, like reducing the experience of failure. In this level, the example of an internship program was given to 25-college aged students with autism. The internship would allow these adults to understand the workings of the workplace. It was a pilot that allowed adults to understand these “unwritten rules” and feel safe in a supportive environment. 

This article was really moving and it’s amazing that technology can have such a positive impact on cognitive development and behavior. With the use of these video games, children can learn how to become okay with certain behaviors that children on the spectrum are typically uncomfortable with. Additionally, these games can help improve basic motor skills that the children may struggle with as well. I am really interested to see where this research develops and the impact that these games continue to have. I am also curious to see what other games exist and who else may be benefiting from this type of technology.