How Minecraft is Helping Children with Autism (自闭症)

Like many constructions, it started small. But now thousands of children with autism are making friends and learning social skills by playing a version of online building game Minecraft.

Stuart Duncan got the idea through a popular blog he ran about his own experiences with autism as well as bringing up a son with autism. Other parents with autistic children started telling him that their kids were crazy about a game that let them explore a randomly generated wilderness. 【小题1】

So, in 2013, Duncan, a web developer in Timmins, Canada, set up a server to run a version of Minecraft exclusively for children with autism and their families.

【小题2】 The community boasts nearly 7000 members, along with a team of admins to help manage its many activities. “Parents see such a benefit for themselves and their children,” says Duncan. “Minecraft strips away the pressures and distractions of the real world.”

The server caught the eye of Kate Ringland at the University of California, Irvine. 【小题3】 “Autcraft” should be looked upon as not just another online community, but as a tool.

【小题4】 They may struggle to pick up on social cues or understand another person’s perspective. Duncan thinks Minecraft removes the pressures typical of the real world where people are actually living in. No noise, no unfamiliar environment, no pressure to track others’ facial expressions or worry about eye contact. “With Minecraft, you can really just be yourself,” he says. “The social interactions, the relationships, the communication — everything just boils down to you and your keyboard.”