In my assistive technology class I had the opportunity to spend more time with the tech-devices the following day. A software program called Facland was really fun and challenged me as the levels progressively got harder. As I was playing with this software I thought to myself, this would be a great tool for students with disabilities. What type? Autism and Asperger's because of the social problems that these individuals face. This educational game would help them to recognize facial expressions and the meanings behind them.These individuals can have trouble relating to others. They do not avoid other people around them, but they do not have instincts and skills to assist them in expressing their thoughts and feelings and noticing others’ feelings. Other symptoms include having trouble recognizing verbal and nonverbal cues or understanding social norms. It is a possibility that they may not understand the importance of personal space, may gaze at other individuals, or avoid making direct eye contact. Most notably they may have unusual facial expressions, body postures, and gestures. An educational software program called “FACELAND,” helps students with autism and asperger’s learn to recognize facial expressions of emotions. FACELAND includes an amusement park theme to catch the student’s attention. According to DonJohnston.com, there are six schools that give concepts of clues and eleven game activities offer practice and fun. The schools in FACELAND are based on the theory that students will gain skills recognizing facial expressions involving different kinds of emotions. Children will be able to split them down into smaller parts. According to DonJohnston.com, it promotes clue attainment through spaced repetition, merge clues for “part to whole” learning. It capitalizes on instruction that integrates photos, mirror mimic sessions, and various connections and interactions. The program uses a wide array of subjects to support generalization and transfer of recognition skills to true life circumstances. Surprise, Anger, Fear, Disgust, Sadness, and contentment are the emotions built-in to this software program because they are the most essential human emotions. These are emotions expressed in cultures globally which considers diversity.According to DonJohnston.com, Paul Ekman, the top psychologist in facial expression of emotions created FACELAND based on his studies and research. Hopefully you've gain more insight about this software and can use it to your advantage. It can help assist students with various disabilities especially asperger's and autism.
FACELAND sounds like a great software for students with Autism and Asperger. Recently, I've heard about this artificial vision device that helps legally blind people "read" on their own. Although this technology was originally created for visual disability, it does work for people who have reading difficulties, dyslexia or low vision.
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