Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Reuters, Carolyn Crist discusses the challenges children with autism face and explains how Google Glass may be able to help them in social situations.

· How is this technology helping children with autism gain confidence and social skills? What are some other ways to help autistic children with social situations? 

· Read more about supporting children with autism.

Children with autism may be better able to understand facial expressions and improve their social skills by using a Google Glass headset and smartphone app, a small pilot study suggests.

The prototype tool, called Superpower Glass, uses games to help children recognize faces and emotions while interacting with family and friends.

“Waiting lists for behavioral therapy are sometimes 18 months long, and families often have to navigate the complexity of the healthcare system on their own to find help,” said senior study author Dennis Wall of Stanford University in California.

About 1 in 68 children in the U.S. have autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Children with autism spectrum disorder struggle to recognize facial expressions, make eye contact and engage in social interactions, but many can improve dramatically if social skills are taught from an early age, Wall’s team notes in NPJ Digital Medicine.

Read the full article about Google Glass by Carolyn Crist at Reuters.