People With Autism Get a Second Chance in Second Life.

David Savill of Gloucester, England has Asperger's syndrome.

Asperger's is a disorder in the Autism spectrum, marked by difficulty in social interactions as well as limited, predictable interests, but with no significant delay in cognitive development. In other words: High-functioning intellectually, but challenged socially.

What makes Savill truly special, however, is what he created. Using the online virtual environment Second Life, Savill created an environment he named "Naughty Auties"—a place for persons with Autism to interact with each other in simulated social settings.

It is nothing short of brilliance.

You see, for people with Autism, it is difficult (if not impossible) to read our society's unwritten social rules. How do I know when someone is angry? When they are happy? When they are frightened? Most of us, from time to time, and in a given social setting, intentionally or unintentionally, give off mixed signals to the world around us. And most of us, from an early age, learn to decode and understand these signals. People with Autism misinterpret or lack understanding of these signals.

In the Naughty Auties environment, Second Life avatars (3D representations of each person) practice social interaction skills with clear, unambiguous queues. They have to. The online environment simplifies those emotional states (a smiling face for "happy," a frown for "unhappy," etc.). For people with Autism, it is a safe way to develop skills they need for everyday interaction without leaving the security of their own computer.

While Second Life is an interesting brand case study in its own right, what makes this application of the technology unique is how the technology helps the image of people with Autism and other mental disorders.

But more on that in a moment. First, let's briefly explore the world of Second Life.

Second Life was launched by Linden Lab in 2003. Essentially an online virtual "world," the "citizens" of Second Life create an avatar to represent themselves as they interact with others in a pixilated, cartoon-like world. But lest you think this is akin to some beefed-up online clone of the popular Sims game, Second Life truly has become a world all its own.

Residents certainly socialize, interact, and flirt, as they would in other video games. But they also build businesses, conduct commerce (using Linden dollars, L$, that correspond to real dollars), and organize for causes great and small. Several "First Life" (our world) businesses have presences there. First Life movies and products are promoted there. Even political candidates have gotten into the act. Several have given speeches in Second Life. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both have a "life" there (no John McCain just yet). There is even a virtual Iraq.

Think of it as the next logical extension of MySpace, FaceBook, or LinkedIn.

All that said, Second Life is big business, as well as a growing legitimate channel for brand extension. Ignore it at your own peril.

As an interesting aside, Second Life is not a new concept. Second Life owes its life to Gary Gygax (recently deceased), co-creator of the fantasy game Dungeons and Dragons, in 1974. Ahead of its time, it gave a voice to those "outside the main social network," creating an alternate world in which people could create entirely different lives for themselves. D&D, as it is still known, is by all measures a runaway worldwide success. Second Life is built on much the same principal, and owes Gygax much for paving the way.

So what does creating a virtual world have to do with the image of Autism in general, or people with the disorder?

First, awareness. The presence of a virtual online community for people with Autism helps create the kind of exposure and legitimacy necessary for a much broader slice of the population to become familiar (and comfortable) with this disorder. Certainly, psychologists understand Autism. Parents of children with Autism understand it. Educators understand it (although they did not always). But for many of us, we are as disconnected from their world as they are from ours.

Second, knowledge. Through its safe environment and specific interaction rules, Second Life helps more of us understand the condition and what it really means. And more importantly, what it does not mean. Persons with Autism are not "slow," "retarded," or "challenged." They have trouble with social interactions and integrating with society in general, and fit the entire intellectual range—from genius to severely/profoundly mentally disabled. We tend to fear and shun what we do not understand, while Second Life shines light on Autism. And that is a good thing.

Third, acceptance. Out of knowledge comes the destruction of stereotypes. Caricatures of persons with Autism—such as Dustin Hoffman's 1988 portrayal of "Rain Man"—may expose people to the condition, but are singularly unhelpful in the long run.

The impact of labels is no clearer than the following change in semantics: The Rain Man character "Raymond" was Autistic. David Savill is a person with Autism.

The human being is first. Not the disorder.

And if Second Life helps with that transition in image, it has proven its worth.

April is Autism Awareness month. Visit the Autism Society of America for more information.

For more information on Second Life, visit the virtual world online at secondlife.com. 

I am grateful for the advice and counsel of Ann Meyer, Director of Research and Development at AbleNet, for helping enlighten me on this subject.

Comments

[Jean]

Jason, thank you for writing about Second Life and about autism in general. I truly appreciate you bringing this disorder to the business community since so much information out there is directed at consumers and parents. I commend you on your last comment, which is very important: the person is first, autism comes after. As a mother of a child with autism, I want to express the importance of that fact. Thank you.

[Kristine]

I was happily surprised to see the business community addressing an issue I wouldn't have expected. The majority of my family/extended family are special education teachers, and information like this is invaluable to us all. Thank you.