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Do you think preschool shows are better today than they were before? I mean from an autistic child's standpoint, do you think they help improve a child's development? I know shows like Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer can be sort of repetitive for teaching autistic preschoolers and I was kind of curious about other shows too that would help an autistic child with developmental needs and maybe even communication...

My son really liked In the Night Garden, maybe because it was really slow and gentle and had nice music.
He doesn't watch much now, he likes Number Jacks, again thats quite slow.
I don't know if he gets anything out of them, I don't think so, I think he just likes the sounds and sights, but that in itself is nice for him.

I know I love watching Chuggington. I have a fascination for trains for as long as I could remember. You would think for an autisitic, train sounds would bother but they are soothing. I used to love watching Shining Time Station when I was younger. I don't really like any of the other shows but I also like watching Little Bear and sometimes I'll watch Little Einsteins because I really enjoy the classic music... plus, Rocket is really adorable.

Yeah he likes Chugginton a bit, used to like Thomas The Tank Engine a lot, still does on occasion.
My 9 yr daughter old likes Little Bear. We get a few British Kids shows here maybe you don't get, such as In the Night Garden (Iggle Piggle), Number Jacks, then theres one of the weirdest ones I've ever seen BooBah. If you ever get a chance to see it I recommend it for weirdness but its also kindof soothing. My 9 yr old watched the taped ones we had over and over.

Actually... we don't. O.o So I've never heard of them. There are only so few that I enjoy so I'm not all into them enough that I watch them everyday.

Actually I prefer cartoons back in my day. Like Animaniacs or Pinky and the Brain. They actually taught you stuff.

Dora the Explorer is really crappy.

I mean here in the Animaniacs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vvy0wRLD5s8

They taught you the presidents.

Does Dora Explorer teach you that?

No.

I like Samurai Jack, Timesquad and Dexters Lab but then I haven't had cartoon network for years.

The Animaniacs also taught Multiplication.

I'm still going to say my old schools shows are better.

Timesquad taught about History, because their job was to go back and set historical events back the way they should be (time is always unravelling you see and getting messed up), like stop Honest Abe Lincoln playing pranks on people or Blackbeard the Pirate from being an environmentalist. They managed to give history lessons along the way while being funny.

hmm.. Jordan liked dragontales a lot but not sure if that is still on. I personally think tv is just 'entertainment' and will not help a child with anything. A tv show may reinforce a topic but that is about it. If a child doesnt understand something in the real world they wont understand that concept wrapped in a cartoon either. JMO.. let tv be fun and entertaining downtime but dont count on it to help with anything much.

there are certain shows, like dora, diego, and blue's clues, that can be helpful for an autistic child. my autie didnt talk for a while out of choice, he simply didnt want to verbally communicate. but those shows that ask for audience interaction allowed him to use and practice some language without actually having to interact with another person.

those shows also were helpful tidbits of information when it came time to look for a diagnosis. they told us two things, 1) that he could speak, understand, and learn language even if he didnt use it (roho was one of his first words, thats red in spanish) and 2) that there clearly was a communication/language issue going on. kids usually love interacting with these shows, but K for a very long time did not answer the questions asked during the show, which is very atypical for a 3 yr old child.

Judging by his dvd collection, I'd have to say that Pocoyo and Yo Gabba Gabba are my son's favorite shows. I think Pocoyo is a very interesting concept in that there really are no background visuals, it's just a stark white background, and the colors are very bright, and the characters and subjects are very silly. It's a sweet, fun show.

As far as Yo Gabba Gabba, I went a round or two with other parents as to whether or not this show had merit as an educational tool. I say it absolutely does. I like the way they've set the show up more as a social learning tool rather than academic. Many kids shows fail to touch on the social aspects...o.k. so your kid can count to ten and say his ABCs, but he just took a bite out of his friend.