Technologies on the Horizon

We are just beginning to embark on new and exciting innovations in technology as they relate to the treatment of autism and related pervasive developmental disorder: virtual reality and robotics.

Virtual reality is used to create a three-dimensional world for the individual who navigates through its landscape. The three dimensional world contains people and objects that respond to the actions of the user. Virtual reality may seem like a very dangerous proposition for anyone who lives in isolation. However, this approach may be ideal for teaching some fundamentals of interaction as well as safety awareness.

Robotics in the treatment for autism and related pervasive developmental disorders has been in production for some time. The Aurora Project that worked toward developing toys that interact with autistic children began in 1998. The appeal of robotics in the treatment for autism is that robots are not emotionally-charged and they typically lack human characteristics. The original toy developed in the Aurora Project looks like a truck. It was designed to promote integration with autistic children.

Later developments required that the child face the robot in order for the device to respond. This is thought to promote eye contact. Robota is a doll-like robot developed through the Aurora Project that responds and interacts with others.

Robotics is an exciting venture that holds much promise for future treatments for autism and related pervasive developmental disorders. However, researchers at Yale University seek to use robotics to detect autism during the first year of life.