Donovan and the Dark Side

[Zeli]

Help a Young Star Wars Fan with Special Needs tell his Story

A Children's Book project in Clearwater, FL by Donovan and the Dark Side

link: www.kickstarter.com/projects/dondarkside

There's a video at that site but I cannot get it to view here.

Quote:

Donovan is an 8 year old boy (9 this January) who has been diagnosed with ADHD, Bipolar Disorder and Aspergers Syndrome. Everyday Donovan has to deal with people who don't understand him while coping with his disabilities and fighting the anger inside of him. He has to go to a specialized school because the mainstream public schools couldn't accommodate his special needs. 

Donovan loves building things, bicycling, archery, turtles and Star Wars. Star Wars has been a great teaching tool for him in dealing with his Bipolar meltdowns. 

About "Donovan and the Dark Side"

"Donovan and the Dark Side" will be a an eBook and a print book that introduces people to Bipolar Disorder and Aspergers Syndrome through the eyes of a child diagnosed with them. It will be written by Donovan with the assistance of his family. There are many books out there which introduce the disorders to parents, or discuss things from a medical standpoint, or serve as an introduction to a child. However, they aren't many books which explain things from the perspective of a child with those special needs. 

The book will help children with special needs learn understand what they are going through and communicate to them in a language they'll understand. 

The book is called "Donovan and the Dark Side" because Donovan has used his love for Star Wars as a tool to help him with his disabilities. His Bipolar Disorder gives him sudden bursts of anger that he tries to fight. He learned from "Star Wars" about a Jedi's need to fight their anger and stay away from "the Dark Side". Donovan calls the anger within him "the Dark Side" and reminds himself of the Star Wars philosophy as he fights his anger with different techniques he'll share in the book. One symptom of his Aspergers Syndrome is his difficulty understanding other people's boundaries, so he tries to imagine himself as an X-Wing and respecting the "force fields" of other spaceships (or people) around him. The book will contain more examples of childlike ways to look at and deal with living with his disabilities.