http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. The benefits of virtual worlds can be used to help autistic children develop social skills beyond their anticipated levels, suggest early findings from new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). Researchers on the Echoes Project have developed an interactive environment which uses multi-touch screen technology where virtual characters on the screener act to children's actions in real time. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-digital-worlds-autistic-children-social.html Psychology & Psychiatry Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:07:36 EST news238410445