Virtual Humans Are New Educational Resource

According to a February 21, 2008 Live Science article, virtual children can play a key role in helping autistic children learn social skills. When autistic children play with a virtual child, they tend to stay more focused, take turns speaking, and acknowledge when spoken to by others. Some experts speculate this success may be due to the fact that, because they display minimal facial expressions, the virtual children are seen as less intimidating. Another popular use for virtual humans is as digital tutors for adults learning a second language.

The article is available at the MSNBC Web site.