抓寶另類好處　自閉症也走入人群

撰文及考題設計／British Council 英協教育中心 Melissa Henry 　　中譯／陳怡君 （中央社編譯）

Autism & ‘Pokémon GO’? Yes. Since the release of the new mobile app, parental guardians of children with autism have been sharing their stories online of how ‘Pokémon GO’ has given a platform for their children to break out of their shell. Autism is commonly misunderstood due to stereotypes or misrepresentation in media, therefore this article aims to have an initial understanding of autism and how ‘Pokémon GO’ is involved.

自閉症與「精靈寶可夢GO」遊戲也能扯上關係？自從這個新款手機應用程式問世以來 ，就有一些自閉症孩童的監護人在網路上分享，「精靈寶可夢GO」如何提供了孩子們一個願意與人互動的平台。由於刻板印象或是媒體報導的錯誤解讀，自閉症普遍受到誤解。因此這篇文章主要是讓讀者對於自閉症、以及「精靈寶可夢GO」的影響有初步認識。

commonly known as autism, is a collective term for a group of complex neurodevelopmental disorders. The disorders are categorized on a scale based on difficulties in behavior, verbal and nonverbal com¬munication, and social interaction. In some cases, ASD can also be related to problems with physical health, such as sleep and gastrointestinal difficul¬ties; motor coordination; and intellectual abilities. In other cases, individuals have average to above average intelligence, with exceptional abilities in music, visual, and academic skills.

以「自閉症」的名稱更廣為人知的「自閉症光譜障礙」，是一群複合神經發展障礙的統稱。這項障礙症是依據行為、語言、非語言溝通以及社交互動的困難度來分類。在某些情況，「自閉症光譜障礙」也會有其它生理上的健康問題，像是睡眠與腸胃道問題、行動協調與智能等，但在其他例子，有些患者的智商過人，在音樂、視覺或學術表現上有傑出的能力。

Although not the only cause, there are a number of mutated genes responsible for causing ASD, of which many are involved with chemical connections between synapses. Recently, scientists have also suggested that environmental factors inf luence early brain development and can increase the risk of developing ASD. Some of these factors are: the age of the parents when a child is conceived, maternal illness during pregnancy, and birthing problems.

雖然並非是唯一原因，但有一群突變的基因和自閉症光譜障礙有關聯，而這些基因和突觸間隙的化學連結有密切關係。近來科學家也表示，環境因素會影響初期大腦發育，因此可能增加罹患自閉症的風險，這些因素像是受胎時的雙親年齡、姙娠疾病以及生產過程中的問題。

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ASD signs and symptoms typically surface between ages 2 and 3. Children in every racial and ethnic group and all socioeconomic levels are affected by autism, but boys are considerably more likely to develop ASD than girls. Thus, due to the complexity of ASD, every autistic child and diagnosis is unique, making it difficult to identify, treat, and find a cure. Nevertheless, scientists and doctors continually make strides and breakthroughs in understanding the causes of ASD as well as therapies and interventions to improve outcomes as early as possible.

自閉症徵兆和症狀一般在孩子兩歲到三歲時出現，所有種族、族裔以及所有社經地位族群的孩子都有可能罹患自閉症，男孩出現自閉症的比例大幅高於女孩。因此基於自閉症的複雜性，每個自閉孩童與其診斷都獨一無二，因此判定、治療與藥物治療都不容易。儘管如此，科學界與醫界在自閉症成因、治療與介入的了解上都有著持續的進展，期能盡早提升治療結果。

Some common characteristics of ASD, but not true for all cases, are the preference for environ¬ments and routines that are consistent, predictable, and with structures; being extraordinary at memorizing facts; and the interest in video or computer games. Enter ‘Pokémon GO’. The mobile app is an augmented reality game where you catch virtual creatures that pop up on your mobile screen. It requires memorizing facts about the Pokémon, such as the names, what candy they like, etc. The game is also consistent, predictable, and has structure, which provides comfort when autistic children explore outside their normal environment to play. 自閉症光譜障礙有一些共同特徵，但不見得所有案例都是如此，像是他們偏好有連貫性、可預期的與有結構性的環境與例行事務，在記憶上有過人之處、或是對影片或電腦遊戲有興趣。當進入「精靈寶可夢GO」，這款手機應用程式是擴增實境遊戲，你可以抓出現在手機螢幕的虛擬生物，玩家需要記住寶可夢全系列角色相關事物，像是名字以及喜歡什麼糖果等‧這款遊戲同時也具連貫性、可預期性和結構性， 讓自閉症孩子在踏出他們平常遊戲的地方也能很自在。

Exploring has been a huge step for some autistic children, but not the only one. Whi le out side, ‘Pokémon GO’ has given some children and teenagers a platform to connect and interact with others as they talk about catching Pokémon, thus taking the attention off their differences and focusing on catching Pokémon. Now, kids with all different kinds of backgrounds are being welcomed to play together, which arguably is an even larger step for autistic children. These steps show how a mobile app can unintentionally have positive effects for people, and therefore make some days brighter.

探索外界對有些自閉症兒童來說是很大的進步，且這不是唯一的進展。當他們踏出家門時， 「精靈寶可夢GO」遊戲提供了一個連結與互動的平台，讓孩童與青少年可以與他人談論抓寶，讓自閉症兒童把重心放在抓寶上，這使他們忽略與他人的差異，各種不同背景的兒童都能玩在一起，這對自閉症兒童來說堪稱是更大的進步。這些進展顯示，手機應用程式能夠在無意間對人有正面影響，讓部分人生更光明。(完)

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