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July 27, 2010 – 4:22PM

 

A package of free online games for children with autism has received an accolade in the Victorian Government’s 2010 Premier’s Design Awards.

 

Whiz Kid Games was created by a group of final year multimedia design students from Swinburne’s Faculty of Design in collaboration with Swinburne’s National eTherapy Centre (NeTC) and Bulleen Heights Autism School.

 

It received the Premier’s Recognition Award as the stand-out design achievement for 2010.

 

Whiz Kid Games aims to help autistic children learn life skills. Focusing on areas such as coping with change, recognising emotions and non-verbal communication, the 16 therapeutic games are themed around everyday activities such as getting dressed, going to school and following a schedule.

 

NeTC co-director David Austin says the games provide a real benefit for children with moderate to severe autism. He says kids with autism learn intuitively and by detecting patterns through repetition. He worked with about 80 students at Swinburne to invent online games that used these learning techniques.

 

“Autistic children can be difficult to engage in traditional educational settings, but most of them are very happy to work with a computer,” associate professor Austin says. “The idea is to capitalise on that and have autism-specific computer-based activities that work for them in building their skills.”

 

The Premier’s Design Awards recognise Victorian initiatives where design has been used effectively, sustainably and strategically to innovate, increase productivity and/or boost competitiveness and exports. 

 

The games portal can be accessed at the Whiz Kid Games website.

 

Source: 

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/games/blogs/screenplay/whiz-kids-awarded-for-special-games/20100727-10sw8.html