Reactive Colours is an innovative project that is developing software to promote enjoyment and social interaction in severely autistic children.
It is using an non-commercial open source development model, and is aiming to include the autistic and Asperger’s community as developers and contributors to the project.
Sounds great. I’ve highlighted some of Mind Hacks interview with project leader Wendy Keay-Bright.
Wendy undertook a feasibility study which strongly indicated that this therapeutic way of working with computers could have particular resonance for children on the autistic spectrum.
The design of the software prioritises the computer as a medium. The computer becomes an environment where exploration and play, which are vital in the learning process, can occur spontaneously. This contrasts with the generally accepted notion that the mouse, keyboard, screen and even programming code, are purely functional components in a system.
Many computer programmes for autistic children focus on task or making progress, and this in some cases, can lead to the feeling of failure or children can become ‘locked in’ to a task and resist communication with others.
A highly significant goal in autism education is the achievement of joint attention tunnels. With this in mind it has been encouraging to witness children share their Reactive Colours activity session (which we are calling ‘Reactivities’) with their peers in monitored classroom environments.
This has been most dramatic in a multi-sensory environment using the interactive whiteboard where children use their hands and bodies to choreograph stunning visual effects.
Multi sensory stimuli can be alarming for some children, however the Reactivities reward touch and sound with simple forms - colour, shape and words and deliberately avoids sensory overload.
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High levels of anxiety are very commonly found in children on the autistic spectrum. The experience of playing with Reactivities on the computer is entirely intuitive; the reactive graphics focus on spontaneous mark-making and cause and effect.
Expressive mark-making can relieve tension and outwardly represent inner experiences. Rhythm, sound, space, velocity, colour, shape and movement are created and controlled by the individual as they experiment with the mouse, keyboard and microphone input devices. This expression of creativity is personal, unique and ultimately satisfying.
Children are content to choose and explore, take turns and co-operate with others, all of which are significant for individuals on the autistic spectrum. The capacity to have fun is an almost universal human coping mechanism for dealing with stress, however for many autistic children this vital tool for releasing energy is not realised.
From our early experience of developing Reactive Colours with young autistic children we have seen opportunities for structured and parallel play that may help to create a calm environment for participatory learning.
And a note:
Although the Reactive Colours website has not yet been officially launched, (we are aiming to do this Spring 2006 when the Reactivities have been completely iterated with users) we would encourage anyone interested in the project to post their details on the forum and visit the site regularly for updates.
Teachers, parents and advisors who would like to participate in evaluating the prototype software can email Wendy for more information.
But Reactive Colours does have a blog.
Why I blog this? I met a women on Friday night who works with two autistic children. I asked her a number of questions about how these children experience the world. I was trying to figure out how technology could help these children, or help her help these children even more than she already is. So when I stumbled across the Reactive Colours project today, I knew it made sense to make a post and pass this information on to her and all of my other readers.
If this sounds like your kind of event, and you are around the Toronto area tonight, I suggest you check it out. 
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