Online Game Offers Autistic Children the Chance to Express Emotions

Aug. AUSTIN, Texas — Yan Zhang , assistant professor in the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin, is creating an interactive online game to help children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) communicate their emotions. The game will help the State of Texas achieve a high-quality intervention program for children with ASDs and the research can be used to aid autism communities across the nation. For families around the world, this new technology will, for the first time, allow much more meaningful with their autistic child. ASDs are a group of neuro-developmental and psychological disorders affecting one in 110 children in the United States. Children with the disorder often have impaired social and communication skills and are unable to recognize and understand the cognitive and emotional state of others, including those conveyed through non-verbal clues such as facial expressions. The goal of the research is to develop an early intervention tool, an interactive and adaptive game system, to help children with ASDs recognize and understand emotions expressed through facial expressions.