Social Cipher — SEL Game & Curriculum for Neurodivergent Youth

Social Cipher makes Ava, an online game paired with a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum, for neurodivergent young people aged roughly 10 to 15. It is mainly bought by schools and districts, private therapy practices and occupational therapists, with a lower-cost plan for parents and home educators. The premise is that autistic and ADHD young people learn about emotions, social situations and self-advocacy more readily through a story they can play than through lessons built around neurotypical norms — and that the aim is self-understanding and confidence, not coaching them to pass as someone else.

The company was co-founded by Vanessa Castañeda Gill, who was diagnosed autistic and ADHD at 14 and worked as a neuroscience researcher before starting Social Cipher, with creative director Lucy Stevens. The team is majority neurodivergent, including an autistic clinical psychologist with ADHD as SEL gaming consultant, a special education curriculum specialist and AuDHD and ADHD designers and writers, and those perspectives shape both the game and the lessons. Game modules run on laptops, Chromebooks, iPads and tablets; each comes with curriculum mapped to the CASEL competencies, and educators get a dashboard to track progress. The material is designed to work in general education, special education, small groups or one-to-one sessions, and there is professional development for staff on neurodiversity-affirming practice.

Social Cipher is used in schools and therapy settings from New York to Australia, and its work has been recognised with the Games for Change 2022 Best Learning Game award and support from the LEGO Foundation and MIT Solve. Schools and clinicians pay per student, with discounts at higher numbers and custom quotes for 50 or more. Families and home educators can subscribe monthly or yearly for up to three player profiles. Demos can be booked through the website.