Researchers say they have more evidence that an at-home intervention using Google Glass boosts socialization and learning in kids with autism. A study looking at 71 children on the spectrum ages 6 to 12 found that those who used Google Glass in addition to participating in applied behavior analysis, or ABA, therapy saw greater gains than children who received ABA alone.
Worn like eyeglasses, Google Glass has a camera, a small screen and speakers and it works wirelessly in conjunction with a smartphone. For the study, kids with autism used an app that could detect eight emotions — happy, sad, angry, scared, surprised, disgusted, contempt and neutral — in those around them. Children using Google Glass received spoken or visual prompts from the device to help them decipher the emotions of others in their view. Or, they could play games designed to have them elicit certain emotions from others or guess what particular facial expressions meant.
Google Glass is intended to be a short-term aide to help children learn skills that they can then apply independently.