This article is about a nice case study from Italy on design for autism that shows how the careful observation of the ‘state of the art’, can lead to an actualization and a useful and beneficial redesign for all the actors of a system. Blu(e) is a tablet to help autistic children to communicate and was invented by Needius, a company that deals with the design and implementation of technologies for special needs.
Nowadays the implementation of technology into medical environment is an hot topic, like the one of collaboration between robotics and toy design to service disability. There are plenty of case studies to demonstrate how progress in these fields is run by enlightened minds and by project teams made by people with different and sometimes opposite backgrounds. Most of times, exactly for this reason, they reach unexpected results.
When we talk about autistic children and toys for them, we often associate a specific category called ‘special toys for special children’. It means that there are some toys designed for children with special needs such as autism, cerebral palsy or learning disabilities and so on.
Pooki, designed by Tina Tran Dinh, a student of the Monash Art Design & Architecture, is a toy designed for all children, but is particularly attractive to autistic children. The research to bring this project alive is started from
Hospitals usually are uncomfortable and unfamiliar places for kids; examinations and operations are a cause of anxiety and fear in the little patients. Play therapy and toys for hospital preparation can relieve these feelings by informing and preparing children about what to expect during their hospital visit.