What do Pokemon Go, Chess and Autism have in common?
By now, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or a Geodude), you’ve probably heard of the global phenomenon that is Pokemon Go. The creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, an autistic man himself, developed the game out of his passion for video games.
If you’ve been following our blog, you’ll already know that it’s mental health benefits are now recognised alongside those of playing chess.
At Chesslife we support things that benefits young minds, particularly those with special learning styles such as autism.
By all accounts, Pokemon Go is doing exactly that.
The so-called ‘augmented reality’ game is increasingly being recognised by educators as beneficial to those who live with behavioural disabilities such as ASD.
The reason? It gets them out of the house, it gets them socialising, and it gets them doing things they wouldn’t otherwise have a reason to do.
PhD researcher Craig Smith in an interview with ABC described Pokemon Go as an “unheralded” opportunity for children on the autism spectrum to discover new social opportunities.
The visual nature of the game, combined with its ‘active mindset’ makes it the perfect conduit for making friends.
Photo courtesy of ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-22/regional-pokemon-go-players-hard-catch-them-all/7652050
Autism and chess
From a very young age those on the autism spectrum often display a proclivity for games, enjoying an immersion in them at times unreachable by those untouched by the learning disability.
People living with autism often excel at visual, systematic tasks, such as chess and Pokemon Go.
In fact, many well known chess players are acknowledged or are rumoured to be on the autism spectrum. It’s even been speculated that the great Bobby Fischer himself was on the autism spectrum!
Our qualified chess coaches are experienced at engaging with special learning styles. We highly recommend chess as a tool for improving the social skills of those with autism, as well as for the academic and cognitive benefits it provides. Chesslife is also part of the Autism Friendly Charter coordinated by Autism SA, you can read more about this HERE.
Click HERE to find out more about how you or your child can get involved in chess!