POKÉMON GO AT SCHOOL • FEATURE
new interests like bird watching, photography, and even the fun of socialising and taking selfies with friends and Pokémon! I like to think that if the game suddenly disappeared, the kids will have had a taste of new, natural experiences that will last beyond their interest in the game. How can new technologies support autistic students at school? When iPads came into the classroom, it was a huge leap forward as it meant we could explain concepts in visually engaging ways so much more easily to the kids. We know that visual tools in teaching are extremely powerful but it’s tricky to use visuals in a really live and fast-paced kind of way. But suddenly with an iPad, someone could come to us with an interest and within a few minutes we could have some great resources to work with. Developments in gaming technology can offer great bridges for acquiring social goals in real life. Minecraft was a huge thing for us. It helped develop problem-solving within this virtual world, which was then transferable. But Pokémon Go goes further. There is the physical and mental health factor of walking and getting out and about – which is something our students struggle with. I think we need to think of ways we can use that augmented reality technology in new ways which are autism-friendly but also good for everyone. I heard about a teacher in America who built a school tour for new students, with points along the way where you hold up the iPad to make the sign turn into a character who tells you about that part of the school – I think that kind of stuff is brilliant.
“There hasn’t really been a game like this before – you can’t cheat the fact that you need to walk another 3km to get to the next goal!” How can we get more teachers on board? The idea of thinking in pictures is true for many, many learners. In my educational outreach work – going into schools in the area to share bestpractice for supporting their autistic children – some teachers tune out if most of their students aren’t autistic. I suppose it sounds like a lot of effort to change the way they teach for a small minority of students. But the way I get through to them is to explain that it is actually just good teaching practice for all students – transmitting thoughts and concepts effectively. What’s the biggest misconception about autism among the general public in Australia? From my standpoint in education, the biggest challenge we find is for children who are deemed ‘highfunctioning’, as teachers can find it hard to recognise that they have a range of very significant needs which are critical to their ability to function. I find that it is these students who find mainstream education the hardest, because of all the subtle social anxieties that are not necessarily easy for a classroom teacher to recognise.
anything with autism in the title seems to attract attention, perhaps due to the way it’s presented as the next “magical cure”. But the other side is that people start to ask why there is this link, which opens up the opportunity to talk about the difficulties and experience of autism with people who wouldn’t otherwise be interested. For lots of the families of our students, one of their biggest challenges is that they say people look at my child and don’t believe they are autistic, especially if they go to a mainstream school. But if only people knew the challenges they have – which can be incredibly disabling, even if they don’t “look” disabled. So anything which says ‘let me show you’ and explains how the tools work is potentially very powerful in expanding people’s understanding of autism. ●
Do you think the game will help to educate the public about autism? It’s a bit of a double-edged sword sometimes. Pokémon Go and autism have already been linked together quite a bit in the media. Somehow,
Find out more • What do you think about using gaming to support autism-specific education? Email us at YourAutismMag@nas.org.uk to share your views. • We created a virtual reality film to show people what sensory overload might feel like. If you didn’t catch the experience on our UK tour earlier this year, you can still try it at home with a set of cardboard goggles and your smartphone. Order yours at www.autism.org.uk/shop/tmi.
Discovering Pokémon in the chicken coop
YOUR AUTISM MAGAZINE
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