A UK study sponsored by Autistic Society found that Thomas the Tank Engine's appeal to Autistic children stems from “the clear facial expressions of the characters, the pacing of the program and the easy-to-follow story lines” as reported by CNN.
In a CNN article released today Anthony Warren of Autism Spectrum Australia (Aspect) is quoted as saying “one of the reasons Thomas is particularly stimulating and motivating for children with autism is that it's very predictable.
"Children can understand the clear visual messages -- the big smile on the front of the engine," he said. "The messages it communicates are very concrete, not abstract. And the emotions are primary emotions. It's uncomplicated."
Capitalizing on these findings, Aspect, an Australian Non-profit, has developed a game based on the cartoon to based on the characters that is now available on their website.
