Speech Quest on NPR: Dungeons & Dragons as a Tool for Communication and Connection

A brave halfling miniature approaches a red and gold dragon figurine sitting atop a mini skateboard. The dragon is guarding treasure charms and looks freightened.

I was recently featured in an interview with NPR about how tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons can support communication, social connection, and social-emotional growth for kids.

The story explores how games that were once seen as purely entertainment are now being used in therapeutic settings. In my work as a speech-language pathologist, I run Speech Quest, a therapeutic D&D group where the game mechanics are intentionally designed to support communication goals for kids with autism, ADHD, and other communication differences.

One of my favorite moments from the interview was sharing this idea:

“You have a chance to try out what it looks like before you have to do it in real life, and you can do that with support.”

That belief is at the core of Speech Quest and my work at Jennybird Speech & Language.

Communication isn’t about teaching kids to act “typical.” It’s about creating spaces where they can connect meaningfully and authentically with others. And the world of tabletop role-playing games is perfect for that.

In these games, kids collaborate, problem-solve, tell stories together, and practice skills like perspective-taking, creativity, and self-advocacy; all while immersed in an adventure. Research and clinicians are beginning to explore these benefits more formally, and early findings suggest role-playing games may support empathy, creativity, and self-empowerment.

But what I see every week in Speech Quest is something even simpler and more powerful:

Kids laughing together.
Kids supporting each other.
Kids finding their voices.

That’s the real magic.

Read or listen to the full NPR story:
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/13/nx-s1-5678657/dungeons-dragons-long-played-for-fun-is-being-explored-for-therapeutic-potential