To kickoff 2011, we announced the Autism Connects technology and design competition, an international design challenge for students . The competition asked students to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to better connect with the world around them and allow individuals who do not have ASD to better understand and connect with those who do by combining technological and creative solutions. After a month of deliberating, we are proud to share the design challenge jury and community winners below! Stay tuned as we give you a more in-depth look at the winning projects.

JURY WINNER

GOBUG By Team gman Gobug is an interactive toy designed to facilitate an inclusive social learning experience for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, individuals of all ages and abilities are welcome to join, play, and learn.

RUNNER UP

weSYNC By thisisnoel weSYNC is an application that creates a specialized profile for the autistic individual by gathering knowledge from each caregiver and establishing a centralized location where it can be accessed and edited. Establishing a dialogue among doctors, therapists, teachers and parents allows them to reinforce one another's efforts.

RUNNER UP

VISUAL WATCH By cam Visual Watch is a time management and picture exchange communication system (PECS) tool designed specifically for people with Autism. My concept tackles two issues. Sense/Management of Time and a more mobile PECS system.

ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY WINNERS

COMMUNICATING THROUGH MUSIC By candemosse This game board facilitates positive change in the behavior of children with autism in a "safe" environment. Placing a cube in different positions along the x-axis the notes climb the pentatonic scale, variance along the y-axis effects the pitch of the note.

LINE UP By cam Line Up is a fun game for autistic children, that harnesses their interest in lining up toys and other objects, to to teach them facial recognition skills that are essential for communication.

BEARHUG by squeezeease BearHug is an inflatable vest for giving Deep Pressure Therapy to help ease anxiety and regulate the sensory system. Using air, adjustable pressure can be distributed safely and evenly to the torso, to meet each child's specific needs and calm the child so that they can interact with others, concentrate better, and be more effective at completing daily tasks.

Special thanks to our esteemed Jury including Yves Behar (fuseproject), Lisa Strausfeld (Pentagram), Richard Seymour (Seymourpowell) and our own Allan Chochinov (Core77) and the Autism Speaks team!