Pokemon Go helps autistic child connect with strangers

Amid looming perils surrounding the popular augmented reality game Pokemon Go, the mother of an autistic child described how it helped her son socialise with people for the first time.

According to media reports, a 17-year-old teenager Adam Barkworth hailing from Hazel Grove, Stockport, suffers from social anxiety and requires one-to-one support from a caregiver round the clock.

However, Adams mother Jan Barkwarth, 41, recently said that the Pokemon Go game has helped ‘change her son’s life’ by helping him step out of the house and interact with other people.

In a statement, Jan said: “It is changing his life at the moment. He is getting out and having exercise. He was being cheeky last night making Pokemon jokes. It is like a different child.”

After she downloaded the game for her son earlier this week, Adam has shown momentous signs of improvement.

Earlier, the teenager was never enthusiastic about talking to people including his family members; leave alone strangers on the road.

This has drastically changed after he started his hunt for Pokemon on Monday; not only did he take a stroll in a nearby park but even spoke to another woman he met while playing the game.

Apart from that, Adam has now started spending time with his family apart from going on short Pokemon hunting tours with his mother.

Citing this vast improvement, she now plans to take him to more Pokemon meet up events to help him overcome his difficulty.