Multimedia and its role in enhancing communication skills in children with autism

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder remains shrouded in much mystery. Understanding it, its impact on an individual's life and knowledge, and its patterns makes it easier to manage and develop treatment and training plans. A key characteristic is the limited use of facial expressions and body language. Individuals with autism often communicate only to meet their needs. Another defining behavior is a lack of pain awareness, sometimes described as a withdrawal. They may also exhibit fascination with unusual objects.

Other children with autism are a source of concern for their parents almost from birth. Mothers sometimes sense something unusual about their children from the very first days. This group experiences difficulties with social interaction, including significant limitations in nonverbal communication, weak or absent eye contact and facial expressions, poor development of friendships, and limited responsiveness to friends. Their language development is slow or nonexistent, and they often use gestures instead of words, rarely using speech for communication and interaction. Therefore, their attention span is short, and many of them do not use nonverbal language, or their verbal language is limited.

This is why the need for computers arises. They provide ample opportunities to present information slowly, individually, and with more paragraphs and additional practice until the desired skill is mastered. Computer-based multimedia is characterized by its positive interaction, making it easy and convenient for individuals to access information. Therefore, its use in education is of great importance, and its application in the field of education has brought about a change in learning methods.