Virtual Worlds: A Boon to Asperger’s Kids?

So …. the hours and hours my son spends on Second Life are actually good for him? Don’t anybody let him see this November 19 story from Virtual News Weekly that says patients diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome are using virtual worlds at the University of Texas-Dallas Center for Brain Health to help them practice the kinds of social interactions that commonly are difficult for them to manage.

From the VWN article: “The researches at UT Dallas argue that a virtual world filled with shops and businesses offers the ultimate control. ‘Unlike other models of intervention, virtual world experiences provide a powerful way to learn new and more appropriate ways to respond to people in scenarios similar to those faced everyday,’ said Dr. Sandra Chapman, director of the Center for Brain Health.”

I can see this in the way my son spends his time on SL. He has lots of friends, and he gets along fine on the grid, in many ways much better than so-called “normal” kids. Of course, all the years of social-skills classes since he was diagnosed in first grade likely have helped … On the other hand, SL has kind of aggravated his “Little Professor Syndrome,” or the tendency to lecture long on a particular subject long after the audience has lost interest because they can’t read the social cues or don’t care to follow them.

Even more interesting: two high-profile Lindens-related folks are Aspies: Torley Linden, perhaps the best-loved Linden of them all, and Tateru Nino, a well-known blogger.