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Students discuss at desk with laptop

A Wellbeing Journey That Starts with Yourself

Dianne Malley is the Director of Community Impact and Jessica Sances is the Assistant Director of Program Development and Evaluation of the Transition Pathways program at AJ Drexel Autism Institute, an autism-focused unit that is part of Drexel University. Transition Pathways convenes partnerships with schools, organizations, businesses and community stakeholders to develop innovative approaches to…

Media card for Marisa Hamamoto's feature in Aware Now digital magazine

Marisa Hamamoto Featured in the Vivid Edition of AwareNow Digital Magazine

Proof Positive’s mission is to spread the science and skills of happiness and bring momentum to the wellbeing movement for the autism community. That’s why we’re so excited to share our feature in AwareNow with you!  AwareNow™ is a multimedia company and storytelling platform dedicated to creating and sustaining ​positive social change. The April 2024…

Theresa and Jamie from Cove school stand back to back, arms crossed, smling

Enhancing Wellbeing in Autism Education at The Cove School

Theresa Hill is a social worker, and Jamie Edelstein is an elementary classroom teacher at The Cove School in Northbrook, Illinois. There, they believe that every student, given the appropriate amount of support, accommodations, and time, has the potential to learn, grow and flourish. Using a comprehensive, individualized approach to learning, Cove provides integrated specialized…

Marisa is smiling wearing a pink suit jacket

Special Interests and Wellbeing

Written by Marisa Hamamoto Autistic special interests are intensely focused activities, topics, or hobbies pursued with immense dedication by autistic individuals. While neurotypical individuals might also have focused interests, the depth of engagement for autistic individuals often results in these interests dominating their thoughts and sometimes appearing as extreme obsessions. Special interests among autistic individuals…

Three young kids, older elementary-aged, smiling and holding notebooks.

Wellbeing Wins: The Impact of Happy Schools on Education and Society

On March 20, the International Day of Happiness, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) released the Happy Schools Report. The Happy Schools Report places happiness at the core of transformation for education. The Happy Schools Framework outlined in the report stands on four pillars: People: To enhance interpersonal relationships, physical and socio-emotional…

OAR Webinar graphic: Practical Ways to Integrate Wellbeing into Special Education for Teachers and Students

Did You Miss the Webinar on Practical Ways to Integrate Wellbeing into Special Education for Teachers and Students?

Here’s the recording of our recent webinar with the Organization for Autism Research (OAR).  We missed you at the webinar! We appreciate that schedules can get busy—the good news is you can watch the recording and increase your toolbox of tools and resources to  champion wellbeing in special education.  Whether you’re a seasoned educator or…

Autism Language guide. Image of hands typing with words above: person with autism, neurodiversity, unique strengths/skills, communication preferences, neurodivergent, access needs, autistic person

Autism Language Guidelines

Written by Marisa Hamamoto Quoting Reverend Desmond Tutu, “Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.”  Language evolves, as culture and society evolve. As we learn more about autism, we realize the importance of using words that respect everyone’s unique experience. Changing how we talk about autism helps everyone feel included…