Mum to autistic 3-year-old: “It’s a relief!”
VILDE RANDGAARD / AUGUST 5, 2019
Finding tools that could help Arthur (3) with his development has been challenging, and his parents have worried about him starting at school and falling behind, especially with the first thing he’ll have to learn: reading. Now, they’ve finally found a method that has boosted his abilities and put their minds at ease: Poio, the learn-to-read game by Kahoot!.
Keeping Arthur’s attention for even five minutes can be a challenge. Now with a digital game, Gabriela is easily able to maintain her son’s interest in practicing letters and words - all while having lots of fun.
By adapting to each child’s level of skill, and by making sure the learning happens on the child’s own terms - triggering their curiosity and inner motivation with imaginative play - the learn-to-read game Poio by Kahoot! is designed to help all kinds of children learn how to read, whether they require extra training or not.
Two steps forward and one step back
Just like everyone else, children with autism are totally different from one another. While Arthur doesn’t have sound sensitivity or repeated movements, which can be common with autism, he struggles with his cognitive development. This means that learning fundamental skills can be very challenging for him.
“One day he learns something, and the next day he forgets. It’s like walking two steps forward and one step back all the time. Sometimes he’ll progress really quickly and then he’ll suddenly stop,” Gabriela explains.
Even though Arthur isn’t expected to know how to read yet, any parent with a child who needs extra support worries about what the future looks like. Giving them a head start by preparing them for what’s to come might just be what reduces their struggle. However, finding the right method can be a challenge in itself.
Arthur can spend a long time practicing letters and words with the digital learn-to-read game Poio. Photo: Private
Surprising progress with digital game
When Gabriela decided to try out the learn-to-read game Poio, she was hoping that it would help Arthur develop faster. What she didn’t expect was to see him repeating all the words and learning how to match sounds with letters.
“But that is exactly what happened and I am amazed! This app is magical. We are really enjoying the game, and more importantly; he is learning and we can see him developing,” she says.
Arthur will gladly spend more than half an hour on the app - to his parents’ great surprise as he normally doesn’t spend more than five minutes even watching his favorite cartoon.
“He loves Poio! He laughs so hard at the sounds and he has started to use the sounds and words regularly,” Gabriela says.
The balance between entertainment and learning
“The main challenge is to understand Arthur’s needs. There is a fine line between something that frustrates him and a tantrum. Every day we have to balance entertainment and learning,” says Gabriela.
Poio is already made to create this balance for children, but Gabriela has been able to enhance it.
“I just let him have his fun some days, and other days I’ll sit and go through the adventure with him. Poio strikes that balance between entertainment and fun,” she concludes.
Arthur together with his mum, Gabriela, and dad, Anderson. Photo: Private
Give your child the best possible start to their reading journey!
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