Non-profit organization Proof Positive has provided a $755,000 grant to the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth to evaluate and create digital health games specifically aimed at autistic youth.
The grant will fund Dartmouth’s play2Prevent Lab for two years, including research staff, curriculum development, and potential game design. Proof Positive and play2Prevent will collaborate with autistic youth, their families, and educators to create appropriate and effective gaming content. Games could be short exercises, or longer, more immersive experiences.
“Our mission is to spread the science and skills of happiness,” said Katie Curran, MAPP, chief well-being officer, Proof Positive. “Proof Positive believes that everyone—autistic individuals included—deserves the skills and support to flourish. This partnership allows us to meet youth where they are, using play as a powerful way to teach and practice the habits that strengthen mental health and well-being.”
Proof Positive was founded by Christina Kirby and Josh Kulkin in 2022. Their experience with their autistic son through positive psychology and autism intervention motivated them to launch the organization to support other families.
“There’s a lot of research on autism intervention, and a lot on positive psychology, but there’s not much at the intersection,” Curran explained. “That’s where we see the opportunity. That’s one of the reasons we’re invested and excited about this research.” Curran emphasized the importance of viewing the project through a scientific lens. “We’re not saying these games will improve well-being. We’re studying whether they can. This collaboration gives us the structure to ask the right questions and follow the data wherever it leads.”
For 15 years, the play2Prevent Lab has developed and tested games addressing health risk behaviors in youth, including HIV prevention, substance abuse, and mental health challenges.
“We’re both grounded in science and focused on empowering young people through positive psychology,” said Lynn Fiellin, MD, founder and director of the p2P Lab and professor at Geisel. “Proof Positive brings a robust curriculum around gratitude, stress management, and optimism. And we saw a real opportunity to embed those elements into gameplay built with youth, for youth. In five or ten years, I’d like to see these tools as part of everyday life. Not as a novelty, but as a normal, positive resource that families, schools, and communities rely on. Because all kids benefit from play.”
