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A Journey of Hope and Healing Through Neuroscience
I have been a fan of Dr. Lori Desautels on Social Media for some time. I even had a chance to interact with her as part of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint’s Book Study for her book, “Intentional Neuroplasticity: Moving Our Nervous Systems and Educational System Toward Post-Traumatic Growth.” I had also read her…
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How Being a Musician Made Me a Better Advocate
Growing up as a musician, I learned the importance of listening to others. As an adult, I’ve realized that listening is not just a skill but a cornerstone of effective advocacy. It’s through listening that we understand others’ needs, empathize with their struggles, and work toward meaningful change.
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Social and Emotional Learning is Essential for Kids (and Educators)
Social-emotional learning (SEL) offers a solution that benefits everyone. By supporting educators in implementing SEL, we can help them better support their students and foster their own resilience. When teachers are equipped with the tools to manage their own emotions and help students do the same, the classroom environment improves for everyone.
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Reframing Behavior: A New Neuroscience Aligned Program for Educators
Today, I am thrilled to share what I believe to be one of the most significant accomplishments of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint in achieving our mission. I am excited to introduce you to Reframing Behavior, a groundbreaking neuroscience-based educator training program developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) in partnership with the Alliance…
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A Literature Review Examining the Ineffectiveness of Punitive Discipline and Corporal Punishment
Punitive discipline and corporal punishment have long been widespread practices in schools to address stress behavior of students. Over the last two decades, a growing body of evidence has shown that such approaches are not effective in correcting stress behavior and are detrimental to students’ well-being. In fact, evidence-based data suggests that punitive discipline and corporal punishment have a…
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Supporting Someone Who Has Survived Seclusion or Restraint
I first started experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder around a month after being restrained for the first time. I was at a long-term residential treatment center (i.e., a “troubled teen” facility) in Utah at the time. I noticed feeling anxious around the staff who had restrained me. I started avoiding the places where a restraint…
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Comment to the FDA: Proposal To Ban Electrical Stimulation Devices for Self-Injurious or Aggressive Behavior
The Alliance Against Seclusion & Restraint strongly supports the proposed ban on electrical stimulation devices (ESDs), including the Graduated Electronic Decelerator (GED) used at The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center (JRC) in Caton, Massachusetts. The JRC is the only facility in the United States that uses these harmful devices to deliver painful electrical shocks to the skin…
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Neurodiversity, Behavior, and the Problem with PBIS
While no two nervous systems are identical, some characteristics are more common than others. People with these more common traits are called neurotypical. People with less common configurations are called neurodivergent. Autism, ADHD, epilepsy, Down syndrome, Tourette syndrome, depression, dyslexia, and dyspraxia are some common types of neurodivergence, though there are many more.
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Stop the Shock Now! Take Action by May 28!
There is a school in the United States where students are literally shocked into submission. These students are children and young adults with disabilities or mental illnesses, most of whom are Black or brown. At this school, called the Judge Rotenberg Center (JRC), staff are permitted to give the students painful skin shocks to change…
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My Time in a “School” for “Troubled Kids”
am an autistic adult. Around 2002, I was sent to a charter “school” in San Diego, California. This “school” was a place for so-called “troubled” kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At the facility, restraint, and seclusion were regularly practiced on kids who were having meltdowns or other compromising moments triggered by various things, be it schoolwork, activities, peers,…
