NPR ran an article about a new DVD produced in Britain called “The Transporters,” designed to teach children with autism to look at faces (like the happy baby face) and recognize emotions. With funding from the government, a team of researchers produced a series of five-minute stories about a gang of vehicles. Each vehicle has a human face, expressing an emotion–sad, angry, or afraid–portrayed by an actor. Since children on the autism spectrum are often fascinated with vehicles, the creators of this DVD took advantage of that interest and added large human faces that can’t be missed. Cable Car Sally or Charlie the Tram each match their facial expressions to what is happening in the story, and named by the narrator.
According to the article, ” A study found that children who watched the DVD for at least 15 minutes a day for a month became much more adept at recognizing facial expressions and the emotions behind them.” The DVD includes quizzes to test your child’s ability to read faces and emotions after viewing the episodes.
Check out the article, DVD Helps Kids With Autism Read Faces, Emotions by Jon Hamilton on NPR. You can click on a short video clip of one of the episodes. To find out more about the DVD’s visit the Transporters website.
