Could Thomas change the face of autism?

A poll has shown that people with autism could be helped to learn more quickly with the help of television programmes that display bright colours and comprehensible stories.

Research commissioned by The National Autistic Society (NAS) has shown that children with autism have been positively affected by watching the animated series Thomas & Friends.

As many as 99 per cent of autistic children said in a survey that characters from Thomas & Friends were their favourite toy, with Bob the Builder toys coming in second.

This news affects not only children but also adults with autism as the results of the survey show which areas are stimulated by the programme.

An improved concept of colours was learnt by 48 per cent of autistics while 49 per cent has a better grasp of numbers due to Thomas & Friends.Some 34 per cent also improved their language skills due to the programme.

Over half of parents said that clear facial expressions and simple story lines had been very important in their child's learning abilities.

Catherine Lewis, whose son has autism, commented: "My son started liking Thomas at two years old. I actively encouraged him to engage with Thomas as I could see the benefits including helping him to understand facial expressions. My son will need to move on to new toys as he gets older but at the moment I'm not sure where we'd be without Thomas."

The importance of this research lies in the fact that 39 per cent of parents said their children with autism liked the characters for over two years more than their siblings without autism who didn't have the condition.

NAS director of communications Benet Middleton said: "The NAS is aware that the relationship between Thomas & Friends and children who have autism is particularly strong for many. Parents who completed the survey feel that Thomas & Friends has played a pivotal role in the early learning of many children who have autism partly due to the clear facial expressions and simple story lines. We hope that the survey will help continue to raise awareness of autism and the over 500,000 people who have the disability in the UK today."

Adults with autism could benefit from this news as it shows how their conditions could be improved with the right stimulus.


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