The tapes are simple and uncluttered, from both a visual and audio standpoint. That's intentional, because autistic children, who are not able to screen out background noise, are bothered by too much stimulation. Autism is considered a psychosis that affects children to varying degrees. Earliest symptoms include indifference to parents and ritualistic behavior. Some children speak late, others not at all.
Autistic children show extreme variability in their intellectual functions.
In general, they seem to behave as though they were alone in the world. They cannot perceive others as people, regarding them instead of inanimate objects. The origin of the disorder is unknown, and it affects boys three times more often than girls. John Sprecher's first tape was about the alphabet, produced by focusing his video camera on a computer screen. While using the remote pause button, he ran the alphabet on the screen, calling out each letter as it appeared.