Category: Brain
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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.
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Accommodations Prepare Children for The Real World
October 2023 was very different from October 2024. My children were enrolled in public school in a small town in Connecticut, and we were all feeling miserable. My oldest son, Frankie, was in second grade and struggling tremendously. We had yet to have an IEP meeting after nearly two months of school. His anxiety was…
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Be Curious and Dig Deeper
Struggles with non-preferred tasks. How many of us have read this sentence about our child? How many have written this sentence about a child we work with, or had it written about you? I heard this sentence in my son’s annual IEP (Individualized Education Plan) review meeting and am still kicking myself for not addressing…
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Building Bridges: Embracing Growth Through Dialogue in Education
I’ve always been transparent about my personal growth in understanding and managing student behavior, and I take pride in that journey. I openly share my experiences to create an emotionally safe space for others who, like me, have reflected on and challenged systemic practices and training. As educators, it can be incredibly unsafe to voice…
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How To Use a Sensory Room For Self-Regulation
Whenever I’m asked about sensory rooms and sensory processing issues, I often toss back the question, “How do you self-regulate?” This question is often met with confusion unless the person asking has reflected on their own self-regulation habits and routines. Typical adults often find ways to self-regulate throughout the day. Morning coffee, chewing gum, exercising,…
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Back to School for Educators: Setting Intentions
As educators and students return to classrooms across the country, it is prudent for all stakeholders in school communities to set intentions around the type of learning environments we want to cultivate together. We cannot leave seclusion and restraint out of these discussions. The language we use about these practices matters as we strive toward…
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The Overflowing Cup: Sensory Processing and Kids
We humans are a sensory species. Every single hour, minute, and second of our lives are made up of sensory input and integration. What we see, taste, smell, hear, touch, feel, and the lack of, are all important parts of sensory experience. These different forms of sensory input not only affect our senses themselves but…
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Stickers Don’t Work for Adults Either
We are a society of “earners.” The transactional systems many of us have been raised on that focus on earning prizes, tickets, and rewards do not have the expected effect. It does not create intrinsic motivation. I could quote Alfie Kohn from his book “Punished by Rewards” here. But what I am seeing is that…
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A Walk to the Park: A Story about Authority and Autonomy
I have since learned so much about supporting my now-diagnosed neurodivergent sons. I share this day to reflect on how far we have come and how far we still need to go and to remind myself that everyone is in different stages of their educational journey. I wish I could say that the practices responsible…
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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…