Isabella Slack long has showed her compassionate streak through actions such as giving treats to homeless people, so when the 9-year-old had a chance to invent a game, she came up with one designed to help people.
A student at Palos East Elementary School in Palos Heights, Slack was one of three entrants from Palos Consolidated Community School District 118 to win the 2022 People of Play Young Inventor Challenge.
She won for a game she designed called “Optimism for Autism,” joining fellow fourth graders Paula Juzenas, of Palos West Elementary in Palos Park, and Robert Fala, also of Palos East, in bringing home trophies in the junior division after an awards presentation at the west Loop headquarters of Radio Flyer in Chicago.
Juzenas’ “The Flibbertigibbet” won Best Game, Fala’s “Flicking Village of Madness” won in the Most Creative category and Slack’s game won for Best Pitch. That pitch can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkNxtd5DcUM.
Slack said she got the idea for the game from a fellow classmate who is on the autism spectrum, and found there weren’t many toys and games tailored for kids with autism.
“A lot of kids with autism can get left out — they don’t get to have game nights,” she said. “Everyone deserves game nights and Optimism for Autism is everyone’s chance.”
Slack said the win was icing on the cake, but she enjoyed the entire process of developing the game. Her grandmother and aunt, who have worked with autistic children, helped guide her research, which resulted in a game she thinks will not only be fun, but one that can help players with autism connect with others.
Her mother, Gina DeBenedetti, was wowed by the game, which her daughter took the reins on from start to finish, except for a bit of gluing at the end.
“As a mom, I was so touched that a 9-year-old would think so much about other children around her,” DeBenedetti said. “Her empathy was so vivid in this.”
She said the family nurtured such empathy, making Christmas cards for troops serving overseas, donating candy to whoever was collecting, as well as soap, towels and stuffed animals for a church drive to benefit people in Ukraine.
“She definitely has a very big heart,” DeBenedetti said.
All three winning Palos students developed their inventions during the district’s Accelerated Learning Program for Students.
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Julie McNamara, who teaches Slack and Fala at Palos East, said they focused on the engineering design process while working toward the prototype of an original toy or game. Slack also received guidance on the game from a friend of McNamara’s who teaches children with Autism.
For the effort in general, McNamara said the training helps with life skills, like following rules, meeting deadlines and developing directions. And in Slack’s case, her personality helped too.
“Her altruistic, kindhearted nature mixed with her ability to speak powerfully and passionately about her project,” McNamara said, noting that all the participants “become passionate about the games and the learning that goes along with it.”
Carrie Martinez, who taches the class at Palos West, said it’s about more than just making entertaining games.
“Aside from being fun, engaging, and meaningful, the Young Inventor Challenge builds and reinforces sophisticated practices such as critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and leadership,” she said. “These essential skills are needed to be successful in the 21st century.”
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.