The D&D program fosters empowerment through collaborating with youth on the rules for the social environment. Determining the group rules is the first group interaction after introductions and each participant is asked what rules the group should have so that they feel safe and respected. The mentor is active in this process encouraging the players to engage and providing their own input about what would make them feel safe and respected in the shared space.

The program also uses a common gaming safety tool called Lines and Veils. Lines and veils are a safety tool developed to deal with difficult topics or scenarios within TRPG sessions (Reinbold, 2021). The lines represent the things that the players do not want to happen ever in the game while veils are things that can happen in the background but do not get played. The players of a TRPG have essentially unlimited options in what they can choose to do in the game setting, and lines and veils allow the players to set their personal boundaries by clearly stating what experiences they do not want to have. As with the group rules, the mentor encourages engagement and may start with their own lines and veils. It is a collaborative process meant to set clear personal boundaries and by extension make the game a safe and predictable experience so that players can relax and engage socially.

To ensure that the participants have control over any undesired content the program uses the X card safety tool. The X card was developed to give players control over content that makes them uncomfortable (Stavropoulos, 2013). The concept is simple, when something comes up in game that a player does not like they can touch the X card, and that action ends whatever is happening in game. The DM may simply skip over what was happening in game when the X card was touched or change aspects of the scenario to eliminate the undesirable content (Stavropoulos, 2013). For autistic youth that have had negative social experiences the X card can provide assurance that they have control over any negative experiences that may come up in the game and encourage participation.

Empowerment

The mentors of the program use a neurodiversity affirming approach to interacting with the youth in the program. Research on a mentoring suggests that it can improve social skills, self-esteem, and social connectedness. The mentor facilitates the game play and guides the social interaction, though this guidance will be needed less as the group gets to know each other.

Mentorship

At intake the youth are informed that the group is exclusive to neurodivergent youth, and that the program uses an affirming approach and that there is no goal setting in the program. When youth define rules for the environment, they also in effect defining how they belong within that environment. The program runs from September to May which lends to developing a sense of belonging and gives youth time to develop trust.

Belonging

The participants choose what experiences they want to have through a gaming mechanism called Stars and Wishes. At the end of each game session each player can award a star to another player for something they did in game, and wishes are the things that the players wish would have happened or that a player would have done. The program uses a modified version of this concept where the stars represent the things the players like, and the wishes are the things the youth want to have in the game. The youth are asked what setting they want for the game, and the style of game they want to play. For new players the mentor may have to explain what some options are, such as students at a wizard academy, a Robin Hood type group that pull off amazing heists, or heroes that engage in epic world saving adventures.

The things that participants list as wishes will become the basis of the storyline and setting for the campaign. The stars and wishes mechanism are not used only at the initial session, the facilitator checks in with the players periodically to see if they have new experiences they want to have and to gauge what they are enjoying from the sessions. All of these mechanisms put together are meant to give the participants a sense of control over the physical and social space, while ensuring that they have game content they will find engaging and enjoyable. It is believed that this creates a safe environment that facilitates social interactions between the youth.

After determining rules and game guidelines the participants create their characters. The process of character creation can take a lot of time. The character is the primary mechanism through which the players engage in the game, it is important that they are giving time to consider the type of experiences they want to have and create a character that best embodies what they want. This process should not be rushed and will likely take more than one session to complete. The participants are encouraged to create a backstory for their characters. The backstory explains what their character did prior to becoming an adventurer with the group. It provides personal details that give the character motivation and personality which the facilitator uses to create personalized game content. This helps build connection to the story and give each of the player’s characters a reason for belonging in the group.

Engagement

Research suggests that many autistic youth experience a lack of control in many of the shared social spaces they encounter. Having sense of autonomy is important for developing a sense of social connectedness. In the D&D program the participants collaborate on creating the rules where they establish what makes them feel safe and respected, while also getting a chance to hear how others feel safe and respected. Starting the program this way means that respect is clearly defined, for each participant. This along with the X-card creates a consistent and safe environment where youth know what to expect, and can enjoy connecting with other youth. Respect is also reinforced through the idea that youth come to the group with their own set of social skills, and the purpose of the group is to provide opportunity for them to use and build on the skills they already possess.

respect