ReActivities+©

Kathy Hannon ECOMP 6019 Original article: __ReActivities ©: autism and play__ Author: Keay-Bright, Wendy Source: Digital Creativity. September 2006, Vol.17 Issue 3, p.149-156. 1. __Choose one learning challenge and one web 2.0 technique__. The learning challenge is **autism** and the web 2.0 technique is **online communities**.This article focuses on autism and play. A little background: In the early 1940’s Leo Kanner published articles detailing behaviors of children that were //autistic//. He described “autistic aloneness” and “an obsessive insistence on sameness” to describe this disorder (Wolfberg, p.16). He described how these children shut out people from the outside world and had difficulty with reciprocal interactions. The children had difficulty playing with peers and focused on playing alone with physical objects. He speculated that they needed to “maintain sameness” (Wolfberg, p.17). 2. __Describe why a disabled person would benefit from using the web 2.0 technique you selected__. The creators of the software, ReActivities ©, took this central understanding of autism into their planning. Their software framework provides a structure for play with a “start, a sequence of events, which ultimately lead to reward” (Keay-Bright, 2006). They feel this predictable structure “eliminates failure and reinforces the routine required to access the ReActivities ©”. The method behind their software is centered on collaboration with children and adults on the autism spectrum, as well as families, teachers, and support staff who work with people with autism. Much of the communication takes place in online communities, primarily through the Reactive Colours © website. Using this type of open-source community allows them to have a broader base of ideas, which are focused on the needs and challenges of autism. 3.__Describe the barriers that the disabled person would face trying to use the web 2.0 technique you selected.__ If you think about traditional software programs for children, you know there are many steps to troubleshoot and follow to get through the program. There may be extra sensory stimuli throughout the navigation of the program, including verbal directions and lots of sounds. Knowing that one of the learning difficulties with autism is the struggle with multi-sensory stimulation, and difficulty processing multiple steps, these traditional programs might cause confusion and frustration. However, with ReActivities © software, these frustrations have been predicted and eliminated through simple, predictable play activities, created with collaboration through online communities.
 * References ** : Wolfberg, P. J. (2009). Play and Imagination in Children with Autism. New York: Teachers College Press.