A still frame from the video game Palaka.

A team of video game design students, guided by a special education teacher and several digital media professionals, are creating a game to appeal to and challenge children with autism. The game, Palaka, focuses on the relationship between a guardian and a lost child. Players control the guardian, helping the child navigate puzzles and avoid hazards. The game designers have included features such as multiple forms of nonverbal cues between the two characters and adaptive difficulty that changes based on how smoothly players are progressing.