SketchUp for Autistic Kids

Monday, December 8th, 2008...12:58 pm

Chris Cronin on Google, SketchUp and Autism

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I’m really interested in how people that do not communicate the way I do are embracing and using the web.  Using 2.0 tools, they are able to connect with their own community, and with people like me.  Want to see what I mean?  Check out In My Language on Youtube.  When you have a tool that lets you see inside someone’s head, the possibilities for communication become infinite.

When we talked about ways for non-profits to use SketchUp in a recent blog post, we didn’t know that it was a big hit with people living on the autism spectrum. Often, people with ASD are visually and spatially gifted - and SketchUp turns out to be a great tool to help model the pictures in their heads. SketchUp teamed up with non-profits and educators to create Project Spectrum, a program that connects kids and educators with software and teaching materials - and you can check out the impressive results here.

We recently interviewed Project Spectrum manager Chris Cronin.  He told us more about the project, and how ASD individuals are connecting through Google’s 3D modelling software.

How is SketchUp a useful tool for people from the autism spectrum?

SketchUp is a free tool that anyone can download and use to create 3D models. We’ve found that people on the autism spectrum who are visually and spatially gifted click with SketchUp and use it to create amazing 3D models. As 3D becomes more in-demand in the marketplace, many individuals on the spectrum may be able to use their talents to pursue a life skill or career using SketchUp, or a similar program.

What can Google learn from the way that these communities use their tools? How do ASD people contribute to Google’s development?

We’re constantly learning from our users about new uses for SketchUp, and the problems they are solving with it. All of this information helps the product team develop the next, better iteration of the tool. ASD individuals have become, in many instances, SketchUp power-users, and we rely on our power-user community to inform our decisions for the future development of the product.

What’s your wildest dream for how SketchUp (and future versions of it) could be used by non-profits?

We’d love to see SketchUp used by as many people who can benefit from it as possible. 3D modeling applications are still very new to most people - even some professional architects, designers and engineers are just beginning to explore them. It’s important to us that non-profits have all of the professional tools available to them as well.

SOURCE: http://www.netfornonprofits.org/2008/12/08/chris-cronin-on-google-sketchup-and-autism/

Comments

[Channing]

Thanks for re-posting Social Ch@nge's article! You might also be interested in the an earlier article we wrote about SketchUp and non-profits here: http://www.netfornonprofits.org/2008/11/17/sketchup-its-a-great-non-profit-tool-and-it-isnt-sketchy/