The Turkish App to Help Autistic Children Learn
Zafer Elcikβs brother is autistic and was unable to read or write but loved playing on smartphones, so Zafer created Otsimo, an app with a range of games, to help him learn
There are an estimated 350,000 autistic children in Turkey, but only 20,000 to 30,000 of those children are thought to be in education.
And because of stigma around the condition, many parents are reluctant to get a diagnosis.
Zafer Elcikβs younger brother is autistic and was unable to read or write. But Zafer noticed that while his brotherβs attention span was usually very short, he would happily spend an hour playing on his smartphone. So Zafer created Otsimo, an app with a range of games, to help his brother read and write. Now Otsimo has 100,000 users in Turkey, the US and Canada.
Otsimo says itβs βdemocratising educationβ for people with special needs. But can an app really make much difference?
Presenter: Nick Holland
Reporter: Vibeke Venema
Image Caption: Alper and Zafer Elcik
Image Credit: ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ
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