Autism Therapy with MITA

HIGHLIGHTS

• Used by over 20,000 kids with ASD as a supplement to their regular therapy
• Over 7,000 two-and three-year-old kids are progressing through MITA on a daily basis
• Recommended by hundreds of physicians for children with ASD starting from two years of age

Mental Imagery Therapy for Autism (MITA) is a unique, early-intervention application for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The app includes bright, interactive puzzles designed to help children learn how to mentally integrate multiple features of an object, an ability proven to lead to vast improvements in general learning. Success with MITA could overtime result in significant improvements in a child’s overall development, specifically in the realms of language, attention and visual skills.

SCIENCE BEHIND THE PROJECT

MITA is based on Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT), one of the best-supported therapies for children diagnosed with ASD. The puzzles target three of four critical areas of development supported by PRT: response to multiple cues, motivation, and self-management.

A child's ability to notice and to respond to multiple visual cues presented simultaneously is the most critical. This ability is typically impaired in individuals with autism, leading to what is commonly described as “stimulus overselectivity”, or "tunnel vision." Improving the capacity to respond to multiple cues has been shown to reduce stimulus overselectivity, which in turn leads to vast improvements in general learning.

MITA in the news: https://youtu.be/giZymh3rMHc
A peer-reviewed article describing MITA: http://goo.gl/lyHw95

MITA GAMES

MITA includes nine adaptive games that develop a child’s mental-integration ability as well as train their language functions. The visual exercises follow a systematic approach for developing a child's ability to notice multiple features of an object. MITA starts with simple exercises that teach a child to attend to only one feature, such as size (screenshot #1) or color (#2). Over time, the exercises get more difficult and require the child to attend to two features simultaneously, such as both color and size (#3). Once a child has practiced attending to two features, the program moves on to puzzles that require attending to three features, such as color, size and shape (#4), and then eventually to puzzles that involve attending to an ever-increasing number of characteristics.

The verbal exercises in MITA also train your child’s mental integration ability. However these puzzles offer a more conventional, verbal approach to facilitating language acquisition, starting with simple vocabulary, and progressing towards higher forms of language (such as adjectives, prepositions, and syntax).

As a child progresses through MITA's systematic exercises, he or she is developing the ability to simultaneously attend to a greater number of features, reducing the propensity towards tunnel vision, and thus developing an essential component of language. The ability to mentally build an image based on a combination of multiple features is absolutely necessary for understanding syntax, spatial prepositions and verb tenses.

MITA is designed for early childhood and intended for long-term, daily use. It is designed to be engaging and educational, as well as adaptive and responsive to the individual abilities of each child.

FEATURES

• Each game is adaptive and delivers exercises that are at the exact level of difficulty appropriate for your child at any given point in time
• Animated characters and Playtime rewards will keep your child engaged while learning and having fun
• Clean and intuitive interface with beautiful graphics that every child will love
• No ads, no in-app-purchases

MITA is developed by Dr. A. Vyshedskiy, a neuroscientist from Boston University; R. Dunn, a Harvard-educated early-child-development specialist; MIT-educated, J. Elgart and a group of award-winning artists and developers working alongside experienced therapists.