"Children with autism, connecting via trains"

[WMAveteran]

On 8/14/2011 THE NEW YORK TIMES published an interesting article on the connection between autistic children and the railroad/transportation hobby:  "Like many children with autism spectrum disorders, Ravi is fascinated by trains and buses, entranced by their motion and predictability.  And for years, these children crowded the exhibitions of the modest New York Transit Museum, chattering about schedules and engine components and old subway maps.  Now the museum, and others like it, are moving beyond accomodating the enthusiasm for trains and buses among children with autism and trying to use it to teach them how to connect with other people - and the world."  According to the article, similar programs exist at the London Transport Museum and the National Railway Museum in York, England.  One mother described a habit her sons have: "When she takes them on the subway, they clap politely when certain models of train cars come into the station. 'They applaud like they are at a golf tournament,' she said.  'They kind of like the old ones; they sense that their time is almost up.'"  One adviser to the "Subway Sleuths" program for autistic 9 and 10 year olds at the New York Transit Museum "said that when she asked how to get anywhere in the city, some of the participants could tell her not just which train to take, but the exact number of stair steps in each of the stations."