This is how games can help children with autism communicate and learn social skills.

There is approximately 2 percent of the worlds population that are on the autism spectrum. This impacts the persons social and communication aspects of their life and can cause major difficulties. But the answers to helping these issues may lay in video games.

The seminal child psychologist Piaget (1955), suggests that play behaviours allow for a child to engage with emerging cognitive skills. Pretend play, for instance, will enable children to learn concepts such as false belief, and more structured turn-taking board games teach reciprocity and strategy.

Also, when a person is playing with another player in a competitive or cooperative game, the experience allows them to practice and develop a range of skills including communication, perspective-taking, emotional regulation, emotional recognition, and sportsmanship. Also, they are engaging in shared attention and joint action with other social agents, as all players are focused on the same activity and must mutually contribute to the completion of the game.

A study suggests that, learning and playing games are a cornerstone in child development, allowing children to form independent relationships with one another.