The Turkish App to Help Autistic Children 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 Elcik’s younger brother is autistic and was unable to read or write. But Zafer noticed that while his brother’s 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 it’s “democratising education” 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: BBC