NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The play2PREVENT (p2P) Lab at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth has received a $755,000 grant from Proof Positive, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting the well-being of the autism community. The grant will fund a two-year initiative to create and evaluate digital health games that help autistic youth build emotional resilience, social confidence, and positive coping strategies.
"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 of biomedical data science 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."
Founded in 2009, the p2P Lab has spent more than 15 years developing and testing video games aimed at reducing health risk behaviors among adolescents. Now, with Proof Positive's grant, p2P can cover new terrain—all while funding research staff, curriculum development, community engagement, and a full evaluation of the game's feasibility and impact.
To design these tools, Fiellin's team and Proof Positive will collaborate with autistic youth, families, and educators to develop interactive, game-based content that is both relevant and respectful to the intended audience. The games will range from short, interactive exercises to longer narrative experiences, incorporating practices from positive psychology, such as daily gratitude reflection or emotion regulation strategies, into immersive, play-based environments.
Proof Positive was founded in 2022 by Christina Kirby and Josh Kulkin, parents of Dylan, their autistic son, whose well-being improved dramatically after receiving support that combined traditional autism intervention with principles from positive psychology. Motivated by their experience, the couple launched Proof Positive to make these kinds of tools accessible to a broader community.
"Our mission is to spread the science and skills of happiness," said Katie Curran, MAPP, the chief wellbeing officer of 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 wellbeing."
The collaboration will also fuse two domains that seldom overlap. "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."
Both leaders hope the project will lay the groundwork for broader systemic change. "In five or ten years, I'd like to see these tools as part of everyday life," Fiellin said. "Not as a novelty, but as a normal, positive resource that families, schools, and communities rely on. Because all kids benefit from play."
To learn more about this partnership, visit the Geisel School of Medicine website.
About Proof Positive:
Proof Positive is a national non-profit improving the wellbeing of autistic people and their families, providers and communities by providing free, evidence-informed resources to practice the skills of wellbeing. Learn more at www.ProofPositive.org.
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SOURCE Proof Positive
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