Clinic Notes: Thomas the Train, Bob the Builder, and ABA

There is some literature that suggests that children do not make eye contact because they perceive eye contact with another person as threatening. In fact some studies fine that if children with eye contact do look at faces they only see the mouth and nose. Interestingly, the face on Thomas the train and the construction equipment on Bob the Builder attract many children with autism. A recent study in Great Britain (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6241733.stm) used vehicles with human faces to try and teach children with autism to overcome their fear of looking at faces. In my clinic I have been using Thomas the Train and Bob the Builder videos to teach children with autism how to label emotions with some success and plan a controlled study in the near future.