Using Interactive Multi-Media Technology to Teach about Emotions

Abstract:

This chapter examines the usefulness of interactive multi-media technology for addressing emotion and mental state recognition difficulties that are common among autistic people. The chapter begins with a discussion of the difficulties autistic individuals experience recognizing and understanding the emotions and mental states of others. The chapter highlights three multi-media intervention programs that capitalize on autistic learners’ intrinsic motivation and predisposition for systemizing skills to teach emotion recognition and understanding. The outcomes of respective research are described with implications for future directions.