07-31-2005, 07:39 PM
I found this interview that was actually done on Autistic Pride Day in London about software being developed for severely autistic children.
"Reactive Colours and the autistic community:
reactivecolours3.pngReactive Colours is an innovative project that is developing software to promote enjoyment and social interaction in severely autistic children.
In contrast to existing packages, it is using a non-commercial open source development model, and is aiming to include the autistic and Asperger's community as developers and contributors to the project.
I caught up with project leader Wendy Keay-Bright at London's Autistic Pride Day to ask her about the project.
* * *
Your background is in animation and multimedia. So, what got you interested in working with people with autism and Asperger's spectrum?
Animation is a truly expressive medium, bringing together all the qualities of drawing with movement, music, narrative, spatial dynamics, choreography, and more. These are the things that have always inspired me. Reactive Colours synthesises many of my experiences in animation, and also my interest as a lecturer in Graphic Communication and Interactive Media.
While my childen were very young I spent a lot of time learning software programmes at home and tried to involve them by designing games. Inspired by John Maeda I became fascinated by 'reactive graphics' and so began looking into experiential design and technology, particularly as a process for exploratory learning.
To cut a very long story short - I decided to focus on Special Educational Needs and undertook a feasibility study which strongly indicated that this therapeutic way of working with computers could have particular resonance for children on the autistic spectrum.
Discovering the work of Dinah Murray and Mike Lesser provided the motivation and incentive to actively develop Reactive Colours and continues to provide a theoretical framework for the project.
reactivecolours2.pngThere's plenty of software packages aimed at helping people with autism or Asperger's. Why is Reactive Colours different ?
The design of the software prioritises the computer as a medium. The computer becomes an environment where exploration and play, which are vital in the learning process, can occur spontaneously. This contrasts with the generally accepted notion that the mouse, keyboard, screen and even programming code, are purely functional components in a system.
Many computer programmes for autistic children focus on task or making progress, and this in some cases, can lead to the feeling of failure or children can become 'locked in' to a task and resist communication with others.
A highly significant goal in autism education is the achievement of joint attention tunnels. With this in mind it has been encouraging to witness children share their Reactive Colours activity session (which we are calling 'Reactivities') with their peers in monitored classroom environments.
This has been most dramatic in a multi-sensory environment using the interactive whiteboard where children use their hands and bodies to choreograph stunning visual effects.
Multi sensory stimuli can be alarming for some children, however the Reactivities reward touch and sound with simple forms - colour, shape and words and deliberately avoids sensory overload."
Full interview -
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2005/07/re...s_and.html
"Reactive Colours and the autistic community:
reactivecolours3.pngReactive Colours is an innovative project that is developing software to promote enjoyment and social interaction in severely autistic children.
In contrast to existing packages, it is using a non-commercial open source development model, and is aiming to include the autistic and Asperger's community as developers and contributors to the project.
I caught up with project leader Wendy Keay-Bright at London's Autistic Pride Day to ask her about the project.
* * *
Your background is in animation and multimedia. So, what got you interested in working with people with autism and Asperger's spectrum?
Animation is a truly expressive medium, bringing together all the qualities of drawing with movement, music, narrative, spatial dynamics, choreography, and more. These are the things that have always inspired me. Reactive Colours synthesises many of my experiences in animation, and also my interest as a lecturer in Graphic Communication and Interactive Media.
While my childen were very young I spent a lot of time learning software programmes at home and tried to involve them by designing games. Inspired by John Maeda I became fascinated by 'reactive graphics' and so began looking into experiential design and technology, particularly as a process for exploratory learning.
To cut a very long story short - I decided to focus on Special Educational Needs and undertook a feasibility study which strongly indicated that this therapeutic way of working with computers could have particular resonance for children on the autistic spectrum.
Discovering the work of Dinah Murray and Mike Lesser provided the motivation and incentive to actively develop Reactive Colours and continues to provide a theoretical framework for the project.
reactivecolours2.pngThere's plenty of software packages aimed at helping people with autism or Asperger's. Why is Reactive Colours different ?
The design of the software prioritises the computer as a medium. The computer becomes an environment where exploration and play, which are vital in the learning process, can occur spontaneously. This contrasts with the generally accepted notion that the mouse, keyboard, screen and even programming code, are purely functional components in a system.
Many computer programmes for autistic children focus on task or making progress, and this in some cases, can lead to the feeling of failure or children can become 'locked in' to a task and resist communication with others.
A highly significant goal in autism education is the achievement of joint attention tunnels. With this in mind it has been encouraging to witness children share their Reactive Colours activity session (which we are calling 'Reactivities') with their peers in monitored classroom environments.
This has been most dramatic in a multi-sensory environment using the interactive whiteboard where children use their hands and bodies to choreograph stunning visual effects.
Multi sensory stimuli can be alarming for some children, however the Reactivities reward touch and sound with simple forms - colour, shape and words and deliberately avoids sensory overload."
Full interview -
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2005/07/re...s_and.html