Category: Brain
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My Journey: Heart-Strong International Changemakers for Children
This past week, I was very proud to receive my certificate in the Heart-Strong International Changemakers for Children course, taught by Sandi Lerman. Signing up, I already knew that anything Sandi and Heart-Strong International had put together was going to be amazing! AASR has a long-running relationship and collaboration with Sandi and Heart-Strong International, including…
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Awareness and Repair: We All Expereince Dysregulation
Sometimes, when learning about the neuroscience behind human behavior, we mistakenly think that dysregulation is this big bad thing that should always be avoided. We think that the only way to keep ourselves and our children feeling safe is to become experts at only experiencing regulation. We think that regulation means being calm or happy. …
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Neurodivergent Students Don’t Need a Calm Corner, They a Whole Classroom Rooted in Calm, Connection, and Compassion
“Just make a calm-down space in your room!” they say, as if emotional regulation can be solved with a bean bag chair, a glitter jar, and a cute sign that says “breathe.” But here’s what so many people miss: when I’m dysregulated when my nervous system is in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn I’m not…
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We Don’t Understand You: Understanding Trauma Matters
For the longest time, humans knew next to nothing about the organ that resides in their own skull: the brain. A vital organ that controls our actions, thoughts, and behaviors. A price of misunderstanding the workings of the brain has led to detrimental effects, like traumas known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). From a multitude…
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Neurodiversity in Schools: Progress Since I Was a Student?
Before touching on my professional experiences, I want to give a quick summary of what I recall from my school days. I went through the public school system in the late 1990s and early 2000s. I specify not to age myself but to remind readers that our knowledge of neurodiversity has made great progress since…
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What If We Presumed Need in Addition to Presuming Competence?
You may or may not have heard the edict “presume competence.” It is a crucial part of creating neuro-affirming spaces. I was first introduced to it through the world of supporting non-speaking or minimally-speaking Autistics in the film “This is Not About Me,” featuring Jordyn Zimmerman. In the movie, Jordyn shares her experiences as a…
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What PBIS Got Wrong About My Echolalia
Internalized echolalia is one of those things people rarely talk about because they rarely know it exists. For me, it’s not some quirky feature of being autistic. It’s my brain’s operating system. It’s the language I speak in silence. While the world pushes me to say things out loud and to follow the scripts they…
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Have You Heard of the Tendril Theory?
Have you heard of the Tendril Theory? I came across it online a few years ago, and understanding it has helped me to support my neurodivergent sons. The graphic I have seen shows a Medusa-like cartoon character. The person is engrossed in an activity with multiple swirling lines connecting from their head to the activity.
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Challenging Outdated Practices in Behavioral Assessment: A Call for Change
In an era where education must rise to meet the needs of all learners, the recently released guidance titled “Using Functional Behavioral Assessments to Create Supportive Learning Environments” (November 2024) fails to reflect approaches grounded in trauma-sensitive care, neuroscience, and neurodiversity-affirming practices. The guidance reinforces outdated frameworks that prioritize managing behavior over fostering safety, connection,…
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Comprehensive Strategies for Fostering Cognitive and Emotional Growth in Trauma-Affected Children
Children placed in out-of-home care often face trauma and various adversities that significantly impact their cognitive, emotional, and social development. While trauma-informed practices offer a foundation, there is a growing need for targeted, long-term strategies that directly address cognitive challenges and foster recovery.