PHENYLKETONURIA (PKU) is a common genetic condition that results in the inability to metabolize phenylalanine (an amino acid which is a component of protein.) The main goal of this website is to offer interactive play to teach children about their metabolic condition, its effects and management and that also allows parents (and other caretakers) to learn more about nutritional and medical management.

The PKU website was developed by Helen McCune, Robert Zori and Heather Stalker from the Division of Genetics at the University of Florida. The idea for the website came about from many years of treating and teaching children about PKU. We wanted to produce a site where children with PKU could learn about their condition, their diet, and the importance of the foods that they choose in a fun and entertaining way. The PKU diet is a diet for life, and learning early about dietary choices is the best way to integrate PKU management into daily life decisions as adults.

The site is designed to allow children the opportunity to experiment with diet management in a safe and enjoyable environment. We also designed the site with the intention that children will continue to use the site for communication with their metabolic center, even after they do not wish to revisit the games and story. With this in mind, the site will allow children to send their diet histories directly to their own nutritionist for analysis and comment. We believe that increased communication about their diet between children with PKU and their metabolic center/nutritionist will help to improve their dietary control, and their comfort with having PKU. We hope that you find this a fun and useful resource.

We had a lot of help in creating this website. The team at the University of Florida’s Center for Instructional Technology and Training have worked tirelessly to incorporate our ideas in a creative way. Funding for the project has come from the University of Florida Academic Technology Faculty Development Grant (at.ufl.edu), the Children’s Medical Services (www.cms-kids.com) and from the March of Dimes, Florida Chapter (www.marchofdimes.com/florida/). The exchanges used in the project were obtained from the “Low Protein Food List for PKU” by Virginia E. Schuett ( www.marchofdimes.com/florida/ ).