Parents, educators, and therapists have been witnessing anecdotal evidence of a special connection between Thomas the Tank Engine and children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) for many years. While the typical child is drawn to brightly colored, cheerful little engines, children with autism show an unusually intense love for the characters. Therefore, therapists have learned to incorporate Thomas and his companions into their repertoire of therapy tools. In 2002 and 2007, the UK’s National Autism Society (NAS) conducted studies to determine if there really is a special connection between children with autism and Thomas the Tank Engine, and if so, why. The results of these studies provided a surprisingly long list of reasons for special friendship, but not everyone believes it. Is there really a special bond between children with autism and Thomas?

The investigation

A New York Post article written in 2000 titled “Autistic Children Connect with Thomas” brought to light the observations of parents, therapists and teachers. In 2002, a very limited study by the UK’s NAS suggested that there is, in fact, a special relationship between Thomas and children with autism spectrum disorders, and explained why. Eighty-one parents of children with autism aged 10 and younger were interviewed and the summary results showed that 57% of children connected with Thomas before any other child character, that they remained interested in Thomas two years longer than their neurotypical siblings, and that 33% of autistic children had “obsessive” relationships with Thomas characters. Studies determined that the reasons for the unique relationship between children with autism and Thomas the Tank Engine are:

1. Calm and clear narration of the stories

2. Clear and exaggerated “cues” to indicate changes

3. Easy to follow and predictable stories

4. Fixed backgrounds and scenery

5. Eye-catching colors, easy character recognition

6. Exaggerated, easy-to-read facial expressions

7. Accuracy of models

8. Predictable roles played by the different characters.

9. Collectible character of objects

The 2007 study by the same organization expanded to 748 parents with children on the autism spectrum aged 10 or younger and achieved remarkably similar results.

Children with autism typically suffer from a sensory processing disorder that makes processing information from the world around them difficult and overwhelming. The main theme of the list of reasons for the attraction of these children by Thomas trains revolves around the simplicity of the characters and stories. Simple, uncluttered settings, calm facial expressions, quiet narration, bold primary colors, and predictable storylines help limit the sensory impact of toys, books, and videos. For many, these explanations are reasonable and acceptable. Others, however, disagree with the validity of the studies and the reasons for Thomas’s attraction to the autistic boy.

Skepticism and alternative explanations

While the UK NAS admits that the results of its 2002 and 2007 studies are not scientifically valid, some insist that the results lack validity. One blogger cites the incredibly similar statistics between the two studies as unlikely and therefore unreliable. Another criticism voiced was the seemingly mutually beneficial relationship between the UK’s NAS and Hit Entertainment, which owns the Thomas brand. Others, however, suggest that similar results between studies are a natural outcome of the social sciences and actually serve to strengthen the validity of the results. Regarding the corroboration from UK NAS and Hit Entertainment; it can be argued that this is simply an example of organizations with common interests coming together for the good of the communities they serve. In 2009, Hit Entertainment and Autism Speaks negotiated a relationship for similar reasons.

As to why kids with autism love Thomas the Tank Engine, some suggest that it’s simply that kids with autism love lining up toys, and trains in general are well suited to this activity. Another thought is that young children, autistic or not, enjoy toys that can break, crash, and knock over; trains can derail and fall off bridges. However, many parents report that their autistic children are specifically attracted to Thomas brand trains, not all trains, and that their children do not crash the trains, but only line them up.

Some reviewers insist that all of the child characters have simplistic facial expressions and emotions, making Thomas’ character expressions no more autism-friendly than any other character. However, the propositions of the theory point out that the characters’ expressions that are set and not seen as they change are unique to the Thomas series. A character is seen smiling, the camera pans away from the character, and when the character is shown again, he frowns. The viewer does not witness that change in expression from the smile to the frown. This simplifies the emotions beyond other children’s shows. Since children with autism have difficulty reading facial expressions and identifying the emotions they reflect, this further simplification makes it easier for them to follow Thomas’ stories. A father made this observation about Thomas and his friends and how it differs from the programming of other children: “Most of the programs for children today are not simple in themselves. They are unnecessarily complex and, in general, noisy, bright and unpleasant. Thomas programs are so simple. The low technology film form is relaxing for my son. With simple music, the scenarios, the scenarios, the unimportant faces, Compare how different Thomas of other corporate programs on today are. “

Listening to parents and therapists of children with ASD, it’s hard to deny that Thomas has a way of connecting with and engaging these children unlike any other child character.

How Thomas helps the child with ASD

Observations and testimonials from parents, therapists, and educators of children with autism regarding Thomas the Tank Engine strongly support the findings of the NAS studies. Many parents credit the Thomas characters with getting their children with ASD to talk, helping them understand emotions, and teaching them about colors and numbers. Explaining how Thomas helped their autistic daughter, one parent commented: “Our 22-year-old daughter is high-functioning autistic and still loves Thomas the Tank and Friends. They think like her, concretely and clearly.”

Thomas has been found to motivate children with ASD to continue working in therapy and school. Therefore, Thomas toys and videos are commonly used as incentives by parents, therapists, and teachers who work with children with autism. One parent explained, “We found the Thomas characters extremely helpful during speech therapy. While the therapists’ shape sorters and therapy toys were well-intentioned, our son didn’t speak or engage with her very well. When he saw him recite the names of 40 different trains at age 2½, he began using my homemade flashcards and trains to promote his language and communication skills. Another parent commented, “From ages 3 to 6, Thomas was the only toy of our son. All vacations, birthdays, rewards and incentives were based on Thomas.

a true blue friend

There’s no doubt that the loveable Thomas & Friends characters are a hit with kids of all kinds. However, the intensity of the connection to the characters of children with autism seems to be unique in many ways. Researchers, parents, and therapists have offered many insights as to why these children are so drawn to the Thomas characters, but perhaps “why” isn’t important. What’s important is that these kids, who are some of the hardest kids to reach, connect with, and teach, are responding to Thomas. That makes him a true blue friend to them and everyone who works with them. Many agree that when it comes to the autistic boy, Thomas really is a “really useful” engine.