A computer game that simulates the daily struggles of children who have autism has been released.
The game — called “Auti-Sim” — mimics the symptoms of hypersensitivity that many people with autism experience, including blurred vision, people’s faces becoming distorted and noise rising to painful levels.
It puts the user in the position of a child in the school playground at lunchtime, which can be a particularly distressing experience for kids with autism.
When the child tries to approach other children, their laughter becomes uncomfortably loud and the graphics distort. They only way to make things return to normal is to retreat to a quiet corner of the playground, away from other kids.
The program is the brainchild of software developer Taylan Kadayifcioglu, who built it in just 12 hours at last month’s Vancouver Hacking Health Hackathon.
“You have books and films that are not just about entertainment,” Taylan told ABC News. “I think it’s about time that games did the same.”
Taylan said he was inspired to create the game after numerous conversations with his wife, who works with children with autism.
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