Jennifer is a wife & a mom to three neurodivergent kids (ages 23, 20, 17), each with their own unique needs and challenges. Two of Jennifer’s kids are autistic with PDA profile. Jennifer has had to learn how best to advocate and support each of them within the different systems of society (especially medical and educational systems) over the years by essentially creating their own individual “playbook.” Jennifer is also an Expressive Arts Teacher, IEP Advocate, Parenting Coach and a Safe & Sound Protocol Therapeutic Listening System Provider.

Athena, originally from Guam, now lives in Virginia Beach with her wife and their AuDHD daughter. As a registered nurse, she champions advocacy for her patients and their families. Her daughter’s experiences in the public school system revealed the challenges faced by children with disabilities, fueling Athena’s passion for change. Committed to raising awareness, she strives to be a resource for her community, particularly for parents unsure of where to seek help and guidance in navigating these complex issues.

Cass Griffin Bennett is an autistic and ADHD self-advocate and parent of multiple young autistic children. Cass is passionate about all things equity, early access to robust high-tech Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), and anti-behaviorism harm reduction. Her guiding goal in parenting is to raise her children to be their own best self-advocates. Cass has a career background in professional services business development and a degree in Psychology from Smith College.

Tracy Brooke is a graphic artist with 24 years of experience doing creative design for clients across various industries for print, advertising, web, point of purchase, environment, and more. She is a wife and a mom to two beautiful teenagers and is a passionate advocate for her son, who experienced restraint and seclusion in elementary school. She believes strongly in connected, relationship-forward, gentle parenting, reframing behavior both at home and at school, trauma-informed care, and advocating for appropriate accommodations for neurodiv

Karen Bures has worked for over 20 years in the behavioral health field across clinical and educational settings. She holds a master’s degree in Trauma-Informed Education and serves as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of BEAM Learning Program, a nonprofit extended learning program in Bend, Oregon. BEAM provides trauma-informed, community-based academic and social-emotional support for students with intensive and complex learning and regulation needs.

Shenika Carroll is a nurse educator and professor dedicated to educating and mentoring future nurses. With a strong background in patient care and community health, she integrates her clinical experience into the classroom to prepare students for success in practice. Shenika is passionate about supporting and providing educational resources for families and districts. Through her volunteer work with the Alliance, she is excited to extend her impact beyond teaching and contribute to meaningful initiatives that strengthen the community.

Pam Collins is a late-identified neurodivergent parent to two neurodivergent adult sons. Her personal experiences have shaped her understanding and deep empathy towards neurodivergent individuals and their families. For over 25 years, Pam has dedicated herself to supporting families through her Neurodiverse-Affirming parent coaching, consulting, and education services. In addition to her professional work, Pam volunteers with the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint, advocating for the rights and safety of all students and staff in schools.

Melissa is a stay-at-home mother of two amazing neurodivergent boys. She has a BS in Psychology from UWGB and is a member of her school district’s SEPAC. She currently homeschools her older son, and is a Pharmacy Tech on weekends. She found out she was neurodivergent herself at age 40. After all the difficulties with her older son’s education, it opened her eyes to the need to further educate herself and advocate for her family. She attended the WI Family Leadership Institute in 2024 and is now committed to being a fierce advocate for change.

Stephanie is a mental health counselor based in New Jersey. As a former policy fellow around the topic of disability, she understands that there are flaws in the way that the education system deals with its students like her. She also acknowledges the many disparities in the treatment of students based on socioeconomic and other demographic factors. She recognizes that seclusion and restraint can be dehumanizing and traumatizing. She is passionate about using her knowledge of policy and law to advocate for change.

Chrissy Dagostino is an educational consultant and professional development trainer whose work centers relational neuroscience as a lens for understanding all behavior. A sibling of a non-speaking Autistic brother, Chrissy developed an attunement and interest in understanding regulation and nervous system states at a young age. She witnessed first hand the harms that compliance-based approaches had on her brother and has been an outspoken critic of these practices ever since. Chrissy learned of AASR while a student in the AEN program in 2020.

Katy Davis is a doctor of Education in cognitive development, a speech language pathologist, a mom and homeschooler of two autistic children, and a military spouse. Her research has focused on the lived experience of military families with autistic children. Katy works with families to establish peaceful, balanced homes and promote positive connections with their neurodivergent children. She has a long history of advocating for autistic voices and working against behaviorism-biased views of autistic individuals.

Sam is a formally trained K-12 General and Adapted Special Education teacher and identifies as a lifelong learner. She is passionate about teaching and understanding students’ needs with big, baffling behaviors. Through advocacy, Sam strives to bring awareness and understanding to what behavior communicates and why it is more than something to replace or eliminate. 

Ciara Dwyer is a passionate advocate for children with neurodiversity and complex behavior. Previous PBIS internal coach and para-educator. Now a mom of 2 neurodivergent children (4-year-old boy and 6-year-old girl). Having both personal and professional experience with restraints and seclusion has motivated me to want to change legislation and mindsets and create a safe and aware environment for neurodivergent children and their families.

Rebecca Engle is a special education teacher a with a masters degree from Texas Tech University with a deep commitment to ending seclusion and restraint in schools. Making history in Texas politics at 19, she has been a passionate advocate for student rights and inclusive educational policies. As an award-winning children’s book author and neurodivergent public speaker, Rebecca amplifies the voices of marginalized learners and promotes trauma informed, compassionate approaches. Through her teaching, writing, and advocacy, she strives to create safe, supportive environments where every student can thrive without fear.

Erica is passionate about helping neurodivergent learners find success in educational settings. As a parent, Erica has a firsthand understanding of the importance of appropriate support and accommodations. Her most valuable insights come from her own lived experience as someone that went undiagnosed for decades. Erica earned a high school equivalency credential as a young adult before pursuing a BS in physics from Indiana University. Erica serves as a researcher for PDA North America, support group leader, IEP advocate, and lived experience specialist. Through her outreach, Erica hopes to identify and remove barriers, challenge ableism, dismantle deficit-based frameworks, promote awareness and acceptance, and organize for system change.

Karl Forehand is a former pastor, podcaster, and award-winning author. His books include Out into the Desert, Leaning Forward, Apparent Faith: What Fatherhood Taught Me About the Father’s Heart, The Tea Shop, and Being: A Journey Toward Presence and Authenticity. He is the creator of The Desert Sanctuary podcast and community. He has been married to his wife Laura for 35 years and has one dog named Winston. His three children are grown and are beginning to multiply!

Laura received her BA in Psychology from the University of Texas at Dallas and her Master’s in Elementary Education from Grand Canyon University. She has been an educator in the public school system for 20 years and is currently a third-grade teacher. Laura considers herself a lifelong learner and has immersed herself in trauma-informed/trauma-responsive/trauma-restorative practices through book studies and conferences. Her passion for this has made her an integral part of her school’s CARE team and Trauma-Informed Cohort.

Emma is a research coordinator at Stanford with a background in psychology and gender, women’s, and sexuality studies (GWSS). In her experience tutoring children, she recognized the importance of creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. Emma brings a multidisciplinary, intersectional, and inclusion-centered lens to AASR research and community-building projects.

Kelly Graziano is an attorney, but it was her role as a mother that brought her attention to the issues of seclusion and restraint. As she delved deeper into understanding these practices, she became committed to raising awareness about their impact on children and advocating for positive change.

Mischelle is a special educator. In 2022, she began teaching K-4 students with high support needs, primarily autistic students with co-occurring intellectual disabilities and apraxia. While exploring effective teaching strategies, she prioritized learning from autistic adults, which ultimately led her to pursue her own autistic diagnosis at age 54. Concerned about the widespread use of restraint and seclusion, she is committed to educating others about neurodivergent nervous systems and their influence on behavior and learning.

Courtney’s passion for creating accessible ways to effect change stems from years of personal and professional experience, emphasizing the importance of advocating for education reform. She is a neurodiversity-affirming pediatric mental health therapist who founded Therefore I Learn, offering consultations for parents and professionals, and education and training in her specialty areas: supporting high-masking and twice-exceptional ADHDers and Autistic individuals, digital wellness in the AI era, and trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness. Courtney also provides diagnostic evaluations for ADHD and Autism for ages 8+ through her business, Healing Hart Wellness, though she is on sabbatical from providing long-term therapy through 2024.

Karyn Harvey has worked as a clinician in the field of intellectual disabilities for over 35 years. She has her Ph.D. in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Maryland.  She has written three books: Positive Identity Development, Trauma–Informed Behavioral Interventions, and Trauma and Healing. She has a private practice and does therapy with people with intellectual disabilities. In addition, she regularly conducts trainings on trauma-informed support for people with IDD, trauma-informed leadership, and trauma-informed behavioral interventions for both state and individual organizations throughout the US and Canada. She sees restraints and seclusion as both traumatizing and re-traumatizing to the recipients and is passionate about the elimination of these procedures.

Sarah’s experience in education has given her an unshakeable confidence that kids do well if they can. She is fiercely committed to practices that center students’ humanity and dignity, and has seen firsthand the harm done by punitive approaches and deficit-based systems. She has also witnessed the healing and growth that result from prioritizing felt safety. Sarah has a Master’s of Education and is currently loving being a mom of neurodivergent twins and creating a life built around disability pride, celebration of neurodiversity, and joy.


Chantelle’s advocacy began with her desire to support families, after learning that her daughter was locked in a room at school. She has appeared on Global News and CTV W5, sharing her family’s journey. With a background in adult education, business, and Self-Reg Foundations, she is working with politicians, and top provincial advocates to bring the issues, and alternatives to seclusion and restraint to public light. Chantelle hopes to bring positive change to systems across Canada.

Sarah is a bookkeeper and a mom of 5. When her youngest, who is autistic, was repeatedly restrained in his special education program, she decided to learn as much as possible about ways to prevent this from continuing to happen in our school system. Sarah hopes to see a change toward a more collaborative approach in the classrooms in the future. 

Kenzie is a Mental Health and Inclusion Manager with expertise in early childhood special education and advocacy, she holds a master’s in urban teaching from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degrees in special education from the University of Oregon. Certified in Trauma Stress Response, Kenzie specializes in trauma-informed care, restorative justice, and political advocacy with lawmakers to disrupt harmful disciplinary practices and combat the school to prison pipeline, specifically advocating against suspension and expulsion.

Rashi Kothari is a public health graduate student at Saint Louis University with 5 years of clinical experience as a dentist and serves as an ambassador coordinator supporting diverse student communities. Her passion for equitable care and trauma-informed advocacy led her to the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. With a strong foundation in community engagement and public health, she is dedicated to creating safer, more inclusive spaces for children through volunteer efforts and policy advocacy.

Sharon is a registered nurse who has worked in clinic settings, long-term care, and inpatient chemical dependency. She is currently a systems navigator and crisis response team member and completes pre-petition screenings in mental health. She comes to AASR with a strong desire to end the use of seclusion and restraint as her family lives with the long-term ramifications of the use of these practices on young children in schools. Her grandson is 19 and has been restraint-free since grade two but carries the trauma of his early days in school.

Emily began her advocacy work when her son Cole was born with Down syndrome. At the age of ten, Cole was repeatedly restrained and secluded in his Massachusetts Elementary School. When learning that Cole’s story was not his alone, Emily knew it was important to focus her advocacy efforts on working to eliminate these dangerous and traumatic practices.

Maggie Leppert is a disability rights activist and former Special Educator. She is passionate about ending the use of restraint and seclusion and is excited to be a part of the Alliance to make change for our students. She has a background in higher education, community organizing, nonprofits, sexual violence response/advocacy, early childhood Special Education, policy advocacy, and deinstitutionalization.

Val is an autistic mother of 2 neurodivergent children who is in her 19th year as an Elementary Music Teacher. Advocating for her children’s school needs propelled her to learn about neurodiversity-affirming and trauma-informed practices which she is taking into her classroom as well. She is a proud member Butler University’s Cohort 8 in the Applied Educational Neuroscience program and she is eager to continue her education in school leadership.

Mollie McGuire is a disability rights advocate, attorney, and former social worker with a lifelong commitment to protecting children. After her oldest son was traumatized by abusive seclusion in his public school, she began focusing her advocacy on ending harmful educational practices. She serves as Vice President of the CPS Family Advisory Board for Students with Disabilities and has spoken at the Illinois Capitol. Mollie combines legal expertise with lived experience to fight for dignity, safety, and inclusion for all students.

Alison is a parent actively advocating and collaborating with her local district to create an inclusive and supportive learning environment for her PDA ASD kiddo.

Amer is a data analyst with a background in biology research. He is committed to creating a safer and happier world for children that is oriented around compassion over compliance. He believes that emphasizing the experiences of people affected by seclusion and restraint is the most effective way to advocate for meaningful change. Amer hopes to combine his research background and passionate advocacy to drive change at all levels.

Kat has a graduate degree in Public Health from Yale University and has seen the consequences first hand of seclusions and restraints. The devastating and traumatic effects of abuse in classrooms led her on a journey to find solutions to eliminate the practice in all schools. She is a strong believer in mainstreaming students with disabilities. Kat is also fiercely passionate about passing legislation to stop restraints and seclusion.

Lara is a dedicated educator with 25 years of experience working in public schools. She began her career as a classroom teacher and is now a district Social Emotional Behavior Support Specialist. Lara has spent the past 10 years learning about trauma, neuroscience and how to best meet the social and emotional needs of students in schools. Her passion is sharing her learning with others through coaching educators and school administrators on how to provide support to struggling students using a trauma informed, brain-based approach.

Teresa is an amazing parent, professional nurse, and advocate. Teresa is guided by the belief that we should not have to change our children to fit the world. Teresa believes that we must change the world for our children. Teresa believes that it is our responsibility to empower and advocate for our children’s needs through collective and purposeful actions.

Ande is a multiply disabled activist and advocate. They are a survivor of seclusion, restraint, and residential behavior modification programs. According to the official record, no one could figure out why Ande acted the way they did. After decades of internalizing harmful narratives about attention seeking behavior and weak character, Ande realized they had been misled about their own experiences. Since then, they’ve been on a mission to understand and confront the societal problems created by behaviorism.

Gail has been a passionate educator for 35 years and has worked in a multitude of roles. Gail is fiercely passionate about shaping our schools to ensure that every student is understood, safe, and able to succeed no matter what their needs. Gail is currently completing a Doctorate Candidature, researching the intersection of complex trauma and disabilities in school aged children.

Fiona is a school-based occupational therapist with over 30 years of experience serving children and families. Fiona is joining us as an intern from Boston University. Fiona has immersed herself in listening and learning from Autistic people about their experiences and the neuroscience around felt safety, connection, and regulation. She has witnessed firsthand the positive outcomes when neurodivergent children have their communication and regulation needs met, feel safe and connected, have access to accommodations, and staff are trained in neurodiversity-affirming approaches. Fiona is passionate about changing the ways schools support neurodivergent students. Moving away from compliance-based approaches and toward neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-based, and trauma-informed approaches in schools will help all students to access education in the way that works best for them.

Michelle Reynolds, an experienced educator in the Philadelphia region for over 20 years, is a graduate of Lori Desautels’ Applied Educational Neuroscience at Butler University. Committed to sharing regulatory practices and advocating for policy changes, she focuses on enhancing behavioral interventions and supports in our schools.

Tiffany is the mother of three beautifully neurodivergent children. Her struggles with making sure her youngest son was adequately supported and safe in school led her to Family Voices Wisconsin’s Family Leadership Institute parent advocacy training. Tiffany wants to create positive relationships and communication between school districts and parents as well as ensure education aides receive proper training and support. To do that, she has helped to create a Special Education Parent Advocacy Committee in her school district and is working towards a goal of having parent IEP training available and accessible. She also believes parents and families deserve strong, inclusive, and supportive communities they can rely on. 

Arielle is a researcher by trade and an advocate for all disabled people. Blind since birth, she holds a Ph.D. in social psychology and works as the director of research at the American Foundation for the Blind. Her memoir, Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion, calls for a world where all bodies and minds are celebrated. Arielle works both personally and professionally to advocate for disability justice and to support and mentor other disabled people. She lives in Albany, NY, with her husband Jason.

Kaci is a behavior specialist with over 15 years of experience in the school setting. She believes that every student deserves the right to a quality education. Throughout her career, she has been committed to recognizing that children are more than the behaviors they display. Her approach is rooted in the understanding that mental health is imperative, both for students and educators. She advocates for supportive strategies that promote well-being, resilience, and nurture the whole child.

Stephanie is a Board Certified Public School Educator of 15 years. She is currently an instructional coach in a suburban school district. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two children. She has a passion for advocating for both children and educators. Her journey as an advocate began when her son was restrained in her classroom. Her experience of helping her son process the trauma of that year AND helping her neurotypical students wrestle with the way kids are handled in school drives her to create change. Stephanie’s perspective as an educator and a parent fuels her passion for enlightening everyone how dangerous seclusion and restraint is: physically and emotionally. .

Jasmin is a single mom to four neurodivergent children. One of whom is PDA. She has forged her own way through the thick of HARD YEARS via years of research and advocacy for her special needs daughter. Jasmin is a Trauma Informed Massage Therapist and also works as a SPED TA at a public elementary school.

Jen lives in southern New Jersey with her husband and son. Her son has Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. She found out while looking into schooling for her son about the seclusion and restraint practices currently taking place and knew she had to help with the efforts to get this eliminated. She loves spending time with her loved ones and enjoys music, concerts, everything horror/spooky and comedy.

Trisha Thompson is an ECE Consultant with 10+ years of experience. As a multiply disabled and neurodivergent individual and parent, she brings a unique perspective to her work. Holding a Master of Science in General Psychology and a certification in Applied Educational Neuroscience, Trisha is deeply passionate about promoting neurodiversity-affirming practices to create truly anti-bias, trauma-wise, and neuroscience-aligned educational environments. She volunteers with AASR to help others become part of the change the field of education needs.

Lyzette Turner is a Special Education Advocate at the Law Office of Grace E Kim, providing support to families through the IEP eligibility process and beyond. Originally from the UK, she moved to the USA in 2009. Her interest in advocacy began as the mother of children with complex medical and educational needs and developed into her work today to ensure that children’s needs are identified and addressed appropriately through the IEP process (and that their rights are protected). She resides in Northern Virginia with her husband, Jeff, three children- Winslow, Atticus, and Ellie, and the beloved dog, cats, and Jojo the turtle.

Angie and her family reside in a small Maryland community. Her husband, whom is a local politician and activist, and she have undergone battles with their local school district due to a Department of Justice investigation that revealed their child was illegally secluded and restrained hundreds of times over the course of most of his school career. She is currently a behavior technician under her state’s autism waiver and has 15 years experience in the field of ASD. She currently is active at the local and state level trying to create change and get funding for special education and IDEA.

Heathyr is a licensed social worker who works as therapist at a community mental health organization in northeastern Indiana. While she works with all ages, she enjoys working with pre-adolescents and adolescents the most. Heathyr has spent the last several years working in youth residential settings where she began to question the use of restraints and what it means to be truly trauma informed. Heathyr is currently studying for her Doctor of Social Work through the University of Kentucky