The mother of a young boy with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has taken to social media to thank game developers Nintendo for the ‘life-changing’ power of their latest Pokemon game.

Augmented reality game Pokemon Go has taken the UK by storm – after Business Insider UK reported that the downloadable mobile phone game overtook the likes of Twitter and Candy Crush Saga in popularity amongst smartphone users last week.

But Lenore Koppelman, mother of six-year-old Ralphie Koppelman, New York, has said that the new app has changed her autistic son’s life.

Ms Koppelman told social media site Facebook that the new technology had transformed Ralphie, who usually finds social situations stressful, into an outgoing child regularly “Talking to people. Verbalising. Participating in speech. With total strangers. Looking up at them. Sometimes even in the eye. Laughing with them. Sharing something in common”.

She said that before Ralphie was introduced to the game, he felt uncomfortable going to public places and rarely socialised with other children.

“He’s usually so RIGID about his routine, but tonight he was happy to change things up and do it. He was interacting with other kids… I didn’t know if I should laugh or cry,” she wrote in a heart-warming Facebook post last week.

Speaking to Today magazine, Ms Koppelman has since commented: “I would call it Ralph’s first taste of what it’s like to have something in common with the rest of the world.

“He gets excited enough that he wants to reach out and communicate. It’s like an awakening in his socialisation.

“It’s our own little miracle.”