Short Summary
Dr. Russell Johnson, a licensed psychologist, has worked with adolescents
and adults on the autism spectrum for over 30 years. During that time he developed
a program that helps those with ASD learn, remember, and
incorporate positive social concepts and behaviors in their everyday lives. His program is called
the ICONz® Curriculum and it uses Character Stories, Social Concept Cues and group
interaction to teach those with ASD crucial life navigation skills.
This program has been very effective with individuals and with
groups and has been implemented in middle and high schools in the Pittsburgh
area with great success.
To make the ICONz® Curriculum even more effective, all it needs now
is a series of graphic novels to reinforce what the students are already
learning. That's where you come in.
We need your help funding the development of our first graphic novel.
Why a graphic novel?
There are relatively few strategies
that really work when teaching social skills to those with autism, and the ICONz® Curriculum already
incorporates almost all of them. However, since students with ASD
tend to be highly visually oriented, comic books or graphic novels are
especially effective teaching tools.
Our immediate goal is to produce a
series of graphic novels that expand on the skills already taught through the ICONz®
Curriculum but that can also be used as stand-alone materials by parents, teachers, social
workers, counselors, and anyone else involved in the lives of those on the
autism spectrum.
What We Need & What You Get
In order to make our vision a
reality, we will need a graphic artist and story editor who can bring the
novels to life. After the artist and story editor have completed their work,
there will be the added expense of publishing and disseminating the novel. The
estimated cost for our first novel will be $5,000, which includes about $2,000 for
the artist, $1,000 for the story editor, and $2,000 for publishing and
dissemination.
Should we not meet our financial goal, the money you donate will go towards funding at least part of what we hope to achieve.
We have special perks for everyone who contributes. Check them out on the right side of this page.
The Impact
The ICONz® Curriculum is already making a huge impact on students with autism. Consider what one parent has to say about how the ICONz® Curriculum has helped her son:
"This program has enabled him to recognize social
situations that would typically be problematic and to participate more
appropriately. I know this is just the beginning and he will continue to see
positive results. My fear was that he was doomed to a life of social
awkwardness and isolation. Every time he tells me how he succeeded in a social
situation, I am reminded of how I felt when I saw him take his first
steps. So obviously, I am a huge fan and extremely on-board
with the ICONz® program."
-Sarah
We can only imagine how much more impacting the Curriculum can be when we add graphic novels.
Risks & Challenges
Our main challenge right now is having enough funds to follow through with this venture. We realize we may not reach our goal, but every dollar you contribute counts towards our ability to help more and more children on the autism spectrum improve the quality of their lives.
Other Ways You Can Help
Whether you contribute financially or not, please help us by spreading awareness of the campaign. Share our campaign link on your Facebook page, Tweet about it to your Twitter followers and mention it on your blog. Reach out to others who might be interested in seeing us succeed in helping students on the Spectrum!