The Transporters (UK) | Teaching autistic children about emotions

A fun video series to help autistic children understand the causes of emotions, and the facial expressions that go with them. Narrated by Stephen Fry.

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For only £24, you'll get immediate access to all 15 episodes that you can stream online again and again.

Who is it for?

The video series was created specifically for autistic children who find it hard to recognise the causes of emotion and the facial expressions that go with them. It has been shown to help autistic children aged 4 to 8 years old.

However, it might be a fun way to learn also for:

  • Children of any age.
  • Children who struggle with social skills because of shyness, anxiety, neurodiversity, or for any other reason.

About the video series

The Transporters uses animated vehicles with real human faces. That's because many autistic children find vehicles are more predictable than people, so watching stories about vehicles, especially ones that go along tracks, may be a reassuring way to start paying attention to faces.

The 15 episodes are designed to be enjoyed repeatedly. Children love to watch them over and over - and this helps them learn.

There are 8 characters, all toy vehicles with their own personalities. They are part of a toy set in a child's bedroom, an environment that is designed to be predictable but not distracting.

Each character has a real human face, rather than a cartoon face, to make it easier for children to transfer their learning into real life.

The characters come to life when their owner, Jamie, goes off to school in the morning. A narrator (actor Stephen Fry) helps children to focus on the facial expressions.

Backed by research

The video series was evaluated by the Autism Research Centre at the University of Cambridge. Researchers found through a clinical trial that watching The Transporters for 15 minutes a day over a one month period leads to improved emotion recognition.

Most autistic children caught up their typical peers and most children were able to generalise what they had learnt to new faces and new situations.



Courses Included with Purchase



The Transporters UK 1 – The Transporters' Happy Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
FREE
The Transporters UK 2 – Sally's Sad Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 3 – Nigel's Slow Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 4 – Charlie Saves the Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 5 – A Very Exciting Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 6 – Jennie's Smelly Adventure
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 7 – Barney's Special Adventure
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 8 – William's Scrapyard Nightmare
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 9 – Charlie's Missed School Run
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 10 – Oliver the Kind Funicular
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 11 – Slow Down Nigel!
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 12 – The Great Race
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 13 – Why Can't I Be Someone Else?
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 14 – Playing Around
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2
The Transporters UK 15 – Jennie's Difficult Day
Learning Emotions through Facial Expressions
Autism Research Trust
£2

Original Price: £28


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"We have been amazed! After only viewing two episodes she commented that "sister looks happy" and then we noticed that she is looking at our faces. She came up to me and said "sister looks worried."

- Parent of an autistic child