In looking over a magazine for autism advocacy, I came across a reference to a new instructional strategy being researched to use with children who have autism: virtual peers. Given that this blog has been set-up for a technology-oriented Writing Arts course, I thought mentioning this new technology program would be interesting. Here is a link to an article that provides more information on “virtual peers”. It is written from a medical standpoint, so it does not use child first language (which all of us educators and future educators know is so important), but does provide a great overview to what virtual peers are. From how the article describes the program, I am assuming it may be more appropriate for children on the high-end of the autism spectrum, but I cannot vouch for its use first-hand. However, it is important to mention since technology is being integrated into education so rapidly. Who know – maybe virtual peers can be a major breakthrough in helping some children with autism; and even if it isn’t, it’s good to know that research and programs regarding helping the autistic population are becoming mainstreamed.
