Truth or Myth?: KPU students create game to teach neurodivergent children
Published 3:00 pm Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) students have discovered a friendly and approachable way to teach sexual health.
KPU students Natania Huckabay and Emmily Martins created a card game that helps neurodivergent children understand personal boundaries.
Huckabay and Martins were assigned to create a project to educate others about human sexuality.
“We both work with children and saw gaps in the sexual education literature for that age group. That’s why we wanted to create a tool for them,” says Huckabay in a KPU press release.
The game is called “Truth or Myth?” and consists of cards with a statement written on one side. Players have to decide whether it’s true or not, and then the correct answer is on the back. Cards are colour-coded by topic and cover everything from mental health to the media.
Huckabay, who is in her final term of the bachelor of arts program at KPU majoring in psychology, works as a behavioural interventionist in the community and has incorporated the game into a sexual health program for neurodivergent children.
Martins is a recent graduate of KPU. She is a literacy interventionist and says children often learn best by doing and benefit from the interactivity of the game.
“I find that children who need that hands-on-learning experience benefit the most. Finding a way to share important health information in a fun, non-intimidating way is especially beneficial in this day and age,” says Martins.
They have received praise for the game, including from their professor.
“The game was very well-received, and it’s one of the tools we will use in the program. It has been helping children understand their sexual, emotional and mental health, and encouraging boundary formation and adherence,” says Huckabay.
Cory Pedersen, the psychology professor at KPU who assigned this project to her Psychology 3010 – Human Sexuality class, says she is proud of the work of her students.
“The fact that my students have produced such a wide range of projects for such a wide range of populations outside the class — some which have actually been put into use — suggests that they are exceptionally creative and in-tune with the sexual education needs of these various stakeholders,” says Pedersen, who specializes in human sexuality, development and education and gender identities.
All three have realized that there is a lot more work to be done.
“One of the categories we created in the game is ‘media myths and misconceptions.’ It revealed gaps in the research that we’re still seeking to fill and seeing how we can best engage students,” says Huckabay.
“My hope is students will learn many things, including that dissemination of knowledge about human sexuality should be rooted in science, not morals or ethics,” says Pedersen. “Although these are important for individuals, they impede effective education about such topics.”