The KOULE, at least in prototype form, looks a lot like a high-tech hamster ball. Inside that plastic sphere are a number of gadgets and gizmos, including lights, sounds, and touch sensors, as well as the ability for autonomous movement. The KOULE has been pre-loaded with a series of games that can help with child development, including active play, learning through play, and encouraging group play. For those with autism, the KOULE is specifically designed to help here as well thanks to its autism-specific applications.

In the video below, President & CEO of Que Innovations Dr. Tamie Salter explains several of the key features of KOULE, like how you can load your own applications and how the KOULE can adapt and grow with your child.

Head over to the Indiegogo page (it’s like Kickstarter) for more information and to contribute to the funding campaign. They’re looking for $200,000 by December 25. A minimum contribution of $499 will get you a special first edition KOULE with estimated delivery by December 2013.

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There was a feature on 60 Minutes last night that focused on this very topic, talking with the folks from Apps for Children with Special Needs or A4CWSN for short. Basically, they have developed a series of special applications that “enhance their learning experience” and give voice to kids with communication and language difficulties. The children with autism who they thought had severely limited vocabulary actually know more words than they thought, as evidenced by their success with vocabulary-centric apps on the iPad.

Check out the highlight clip on CBS News. Related to that story, A4CWSN is a customer of Gumdrop cases. These ruggedized cases for tablets like the iPad help the devices withstand plenty of abuse, which can happen with the tantrums from the children. If you’re going to use tablets in the classroom, a tough case is almost a necessity.

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When I went to school for my psychology degree, it was quite common for my classmates to sign up as assistants for people who were doing applied behavior analysis (ABA) training and therapy for children with autism. Now, we could be looking at much more technological approach.

Say hello to Kaspar. He might look like some creepy doll who would be hanging out with Chucky on the weekends, but he’s actually a specially designed bot to help autistic children better recognize human emotions and social cues. That’s the biggest struggle with autism and it could be due to the variability in human responses.

That’s how Kaspar is supposed to help. His responses to stimuli — like when the child tickles his feet — are exactly the same every time. This helps the children get a better sense of predictability. That makes the world less scary for them and, as such, they slowly become better equipped to recognize social cues and emotional responses.

At least, that’s the idea. For my part, Kaspar just looks like a creepy doll. But hey, if he really is effective, all the more power to his creators.

[University of Hertfordshire]

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