The Transporters has been created specially for children with autism spectrum conditions (autism for short) who find it hard to recognize the causes of emotion and the facial expressions that go with them.
There are eight characters, all toy vehicles with their own personalities and function. They are part of a toy set in a child's bedroom, an environment that is designed to be predictable (since children with autism love predictability) but not distracting. Each character has a real human (rather than a cartoon) face to make it easier for children to transfer their learning into real life.
The characters come to life when their owner, Jamie, goes off to school in the morning. Stephen Fry (narrator) helps children to focus on the facial expressions.
The Transporters was developed with the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. It uses animated vehicles with real human faces to help children transfer learning to real life.
Why The Transporters?
Children with autism tend to love vehicles. In particular, children with autism love vehicles that move predictably - like trams, cable cars and trains. They tend to dislike objects that move unpredictably.
With The Transporters, children who don't naturally want to look at real people's unpredictable faces are encouraged to do so because they are "grafted" onto beautifully predictable, attractive vehicles.
The Transporters DVD Pack includes:
15 fun five minute episodes showing key emotions in context;
30 entertaining interactive quizzes to reinforce and test understanding;
36-page booklet for parents, teachers and carers explaining how to get the most out of The Transporters at home and at school.
