British company creates animated series, computer game for children with autism

A story from The Manchester Evening News in the UK. (Another DVD for children with autism backed by the British Department of Culture, Media and Sport went on sale around the world in September. "The Transporters" was designed to help children with autism recognize emotions.)

An Ashton animation studio has become the first in the UK to devise a commercial cartoon series and computer game designed specifically for young children on the autism spectrum.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. People with autism have difficulties with everyday social interaction.In some cases people with autism find it difficult to use or understand facial expressions, tone of voice, sarcasm or jokes.

But Catalyst has come up with The Space Place, a cartoon and game that features 12 computer-animated stories focusing on the link between emotions and facial expression.

Eight characters, all lunar vehicles, come to life after their space museum closes its doors for the night.

Their computerised faces form definite expressions that are central to the story and the dialogue.

The animation series is narrated by Rob Rackstraw, the voice behind Bob the Builder character, Spud. Catalyst MD Nik Lever believes that the Ashton-under-Lyne studio has come up with a powerful learning tool that will help parents and practitioners with the early intervention needed in order for children on the spectrum to develop empathy skills.

Lever says: "With regular exposure to teaching tools such as this, children with autism can dramatically improve their awareness of expressions and the emotions that cause them, and be able to transfer this learning to different situations. "

Children on the spectrum tend to love programmes with vehicles, such as Thomas The Tank Engine and Roary The Racing Car. We're capitalising on this interest, so that while they're watching they can be advancing their social skills, too.

"Any child can enjoy The Space Place, though - that's what so great about it. We've made a product which is inclusive rather than exclusive."

The DVD's Fun 'n' Games menu allows children to play four interactive games, too. A CD-Rom game is included in the pack alongside the DVD, allowing kids to play Spot the Face - a game for recognising emotions - in 3D. The interactive computer game allows children to be any character from the series and collect cards that show the cartoon characters expressing different moods.

For play time away from the screen, the set also includes a pack of colour-coded playing cards, each illustrated with a character and emotion. Instructions are included so that parents can use the cards for a number of educational games.

The Space Place has been endorsed by developmental psychologist Dr Janine Spencer, who established the Centre for Research in Infant Behaviour at Brunel
University. She is also the director of Child's Eye View, a consultancy providing developmental psychology advice to industry for product development purposes.

Dr Spencer says: "The Space Place is fantastic - the characters' animated facial expressions show important emotions in the context of an engaging storyline. This is an invaluable learning resource for children on the autism spectrum, who can also benefit from the accompanying interactive games."

Mum Debby Salmons, who has four-year-old twin sons with autism, says that The Space Place has been a great success at home.

"Parents of kids with special needs never let themselves off the hook - they always feel that they could be doing more to help their child develop further," she says. "It's very draining, and it's not always healthy to be thinking therapy, therapy, therapy. You want your kids to just be children and enjoy themselves.

"The Space Place is fantastic, because, although my twins are watching TV - supposedly a passive activity - I know that, far from doing them any harm, this is actually helping them to learn emotions that they might otherwise find difficult to recognise."