AASR Live

Please join us for “Making Sense of Even the Most Baffling Behaviors: An Interview with Robyn Gobbel.”

Robyn Gobbel, MSW, loves coffee, P!NK, and everything about the brain. Once (recently!) her teenager went ballistic on her for getting ANOTHER (glitter!) coffee mug in the mail. Robyn loves cultivating deep, resonant connections with anyone who is up for it, and is especially fond of all the grown-ups in the world who love and care for kids impacted by trauma- helpers, healers, educators, and parents. 

Robyn's favorite thing ever (besides glittery coffee mugs) is teaching anyone who will listen to harness the power of neuroscience so they can cultivate deep, resonant connections. What would change in the world if we could all do that? To see, be with, feel, and deeply know each other…and ourselves. Robyn thinks everything could change. 

Robyn is an author, educator, and former therapist turned community creator. She runs a virtual community for parents of kids with big, baffling behaviors and teaches professionals how to help the families no one else knows how to help. You can get your hands on all sorts of free resources at www.RobynGobbel.com, including her podcast, The Baffling Behavior Show.

Support the show

Please join us for “All Our Instincts About Behavior Are Wrong” with Diane Gould.

Diane Gould is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specializes in serving autistic individuals. As the Executive Director and Founder of PDA North America, she founded the annual PDA North America conference held in Chicago which has changed the lives of hundreds of PDA families.

Currently, Diane has a private practice in the suburbs of Chicago, where she serves neurodivergent children, adults, and their families. Over the last 40-plus years, she has worked for both private agencies and school systems. Diane was the Childhood Disability and Family Support Specialist for the Jewish Children’s Bureau for over a decade. She created many different types of programs and support groups, family camps, and parent education. She also established inclusion consultation and home visiting programs. She also has worked for two special education cooperatives which resulted in working in 14 schools during her career.

She served on the Professional Advisory Board of the Autism Society of Illinois for many years. Diane also facilitates a program to improve relationship skills for teens and adults.

She has served as a consultant and guest lecturer for many area school districts, parent associations, and private agencies.

Diane provides assessments and consultations to families and school districts and frequently attends school meetings. Diane has always been interested in human behavior and works with individuals, parents, and schools to create support plans that increase emotional regulation. She has been vocal with her concerns that our commonly used practices increase dysregulation and make behavioral challenges worse. She fights against punitive practices including seclusion, restraint, suspension, and expulsion.

It was the understanding of behavior and support in the PDA literature that first drew her to learn more about PDA. And learning about PDA, led her to begin the new PDA movement in North America. Diane formed PDA North America at the first American PDA conference in March 2020. She has written a book with Ruth Fidler on Navigating PDA in America which will be published in June 2024.

She is making it part of her life’s mission to gain more awareness and understanding of PDA in North America through this non-profit organization.

Support the show

Please join us for “An Interview with Julie Roberts: The Gold Standard Fallacy of ABA."

Julie Roberts, M.S., CCC-SLP, founding CEO of Therapist Neurodiversity Collective, Inc., is a late-diagnosed Autistic ASHA-certified, licensed Speech-Language Pathologist who has been practicing since 1999. She is a frequent speaker, educator, and trainer who delivers high-energy presentations that challenge audiences to reexamine their beliefs about Autism and re-access outdated and damaging therapy and education practices.

Julie’s work focuses on professional and public education about empathetic evidence-based therapy alternatives to ABA and behavioral therapy models that are non-trauma inducing and respectful of autistic social communication differences, social justice, and human rights. Her articles and educational resources have reached well over three-quarters of a million people and are frequently cited in other presentations and articles.

Support the show

Please join us for “Accessible Neuroscience and Connecting Strategies that Bring Calm into the Home and Classroom” with Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW.

Ginger Healy MSW, LCSW started her career as a child abuse investigator, hospital social worker, and school therapist. She spent 15 years as the social service supervisor at an international adoption agency, where she learned about developmental trauma and attachment needs in children. She is currently a clinical social worker and the director of programs at the Attachment & Trauma Network. She co-anchors the podcast “Regulated and Relational” with Julie Beem, executive director of ATN. Ginger speaks and teaches across the nation on trauma-informed schools and therapeutic parenting. Ginger is the author of Regulation and Co-Regulation: Accessible Neuroscience that Brings Calm into the Classroom, and she is also the author of the accompanying workbook that aims to reach beyond the classroom for caregivers and child-serving professionals. Her third book, Managing Big Emotions: Identifying Triggers, Developing Coping Strategies, and Communicating Effectively, was released just this month! (Oct 2024)

Support the show

Please join us for “Lessons in Leadership: An Interview with Charles Williams about Shifting School Discipline Practices.”

Charles Williams, a dedicated educator with nearly two decades of experience, has made impactful contributions in various capacities, including teacher, assistant principal, and principal within the K-12 educational sector. His unwavering commitment to fostering equity is highlighted through his advocacy work with the Equity Offices of both the City of Chicago and Chicago Public Schools. Charles extends his passion for promoting inclusive narratives as the host of "The Counter Narrative Podcast" and as a former co-host of the educational show "Inside the Principal’s Office." In addition to his educational endeavors, Charles is the founder of a consulting firm, where he thrives as a best-selling author and is celebrated for his compelling workshops and motivational keynote speeches.

Expanding his influence beyond his immediate professional circle, Charles contributes his expertise and insights as a board member for the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Purdue Northwest. His commitment to educational excellence and leadership development is further exemplified through his roles on the boards of Lead by Learning and the Leadership EDIT Conference. Through these positions, Charles continues to advocate for transformative educational practices and leadership strategies that resonate across diverse platforms and communities.

Support the show

Please join us for “The Journey to Develop Reframing Behavior: A New Neuroscience Aligned Program for Educators” with Susan Driscoll, Patricia Bosco, and Connie Persike.

Susan Driscoll is President of Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI) and oversees the development of all products and programs, the trainers who deliver them, and for the support and care of the clients who use them. She joined CPI in 2017 and is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and in 2022 was named a Director of the company.

Prior to joining CPI, Susan served as President and CEO of Wolters Kluwer Health, Professional and Education, where she transformed the business from a traditional book publisher to a subscription-based healthcare content business. She has extensive experience in both healthcare and higher education publishing and training.

Susan also has startup experience: prior to joining Wolters Kluwer, Susan was CEO of iUniverse, an internet-based provider of self-publishing services that was funded by Barnes & Noble and Warburg Pincus.

Patricia Bosco is the Instructional Designer for Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI).

Patricia is passionate about creating change and growth through effective and engaging learning experiences. An avid advocate for designing learning that places the learner’s needs, capabilities, and experiences at the center of the design process.

Connie Persike, M.S., CCC/SLP, is a highly experienced Speech Language Pathologist and Educational Consultant. She has 20+ years of experience in educational settings and holds a certificate in instructional coaching, positive education, and applied educational neuroscience.

She served as a member of the multi-state work group to help develop the Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts. Connie is a published writer for Autism Parenting Magazine and writes for Exceptional Needs Today. She created an innovative process to assess student behavior, which deviates from the traditional behaviorism approach and aligns with current relational and neuroscience while maintaining a trauma-sensitive and neurodiversity approach.

Support the show

Please join us for “Misunderstandings of Discipline” with Jodi Place. 

Jodi Place has served as a public educator for over 25 years. Prior to becoming a school administrator, she was a Nationally Board-Certified English teacher. As an administrator, she has experience leading in traditional high school and middle school settings as well as alternative education. She holds her Applied Educational Neuroscience certification from Butler University and is currently pursuing her Neurosequential Model in Education training led by Dr. Bruce Perry. She has published a Quick Reference Guide with ASCD, Supporting Emotional Regulation in the Classroom. 

Support the show

Please join us for “Neurodiversity and the Myth of Normal” with Pam Collins from Neurodivergent by Nature. 

Pam Collins is a late-identified neurodivergent parent to two amazing multiply neurodivergent adult sons. She provides Neurodiverse-Affirming parent coaching, consulting, and education services to families and community partners and has been supporting families for over 25 years in British Columbia and outside of Canada. She is a volunteer for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint. She is passionate about the most current research in psychology, especially related to neurodivergence (Autism, PDA, ADHD) and neuroscience (Trauma, anxiety, and depression). She works to share information with others so they can be informed to make decisions, experience joy, and be hopeful.

Support the show

Dr. Lori Desautels has been an Assistant Professor at Butler University since 2016, where she teaches both undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education. She was also an Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis for eight years, where she founded the Educational Neuroscience Symposium. Currently, the Symposium is in its 10th year and is sponsored by Butler University College of Education. Through these conferences and symposiums, educators, parents, and the community learn deeply about how adversity, trauma, and resiliency impact the developing nervous system, helping our students to feel a sense of autonomy and purpose along with social, emotional, and cognitive well-being. Because of her work, Dr. Desautels has been able to attract the foremost experts in the fields of developmental, relational, and social neurosciences, which significantly grow the conference each year.

Dr. Dustin Springer has been an educator for 27 years and is currently an elementary school principal in Kansas.  Additionally, he serves alongside Dr. Lori, Angie Zara, and Rob Beltz as affiliate faculty at Butler University in the Applied Educational Neuroscience certification program and as a consultant for Revelations in Education.  Dr. Springer is married with three children and actively pursues any opportunity to watch live music to bring calm to his nervous system.

Crystal Williams is a 7th-grade Social Studies teacher at Belzer Middle School. She began at Belzer in the Alternative to Instruction classroom in 2015 as an Instructional Assistant (IA). While as an IA, she returned to school to obtain her Master's in Education.  She has obtained the Applied Educational Neuroscience Framework Certification program with Dr. Lori Desautels.  Crystal has had the pleasure of presenting at the Lawerence Learning Summit, Lawrence Advance Academy, and the Butler Neuroscience Symposium; Crystal is on a mission to help adults and children become aware of themselves through Educational Neuroscience.  She aims to teach others how to integrate educational neuroscience in the classroom.

Born and raised in the heart of Washington, DC, Angelina Zara found her passion in education in 2015, serving students and caregivers in her hometown. As an elementary school teacher in a Title 1, full-inclusion classroom, Angie learned early on about the power of research-based, trauma-informed strategies, and her philosophy was forever changed. She has first-hand experience of the impact of trauma-informed education and the direct correlation to powerful relationships and increased student achievement in diverse learning communities. Angie completed Applied Educational Neuroscience Certification from Butler University in 2021, and has had the privilege to work closely with Dr Lori Desautels. These collaborations include designing and incorporating various applications within her Applied Educational Neuroscience (AEN) Framework. 

 Robert Beltz is a dedicated educator and consultant based in Oakland County, Michigan, and he also teaches the graduate Applied Educational Neuroscience program at Butler University. With an extensive background that spans over 20 years in the field of education, Robert has served in various roles as a teacher, ELD specialist, and trauma-responsive coach. He holds multiple certifications in areas such as Trauma-Responsiveness, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Applied Educational Neuroscience, and English as a Second Language (ESL). His primary focus is on enhancing social-emotional learning and promoting brain development, specifically for students who have been impacted by trauma. 

Support the show

Please join us for “Making Sense of a Chaotic World: A Discussion with Professor Andrew McDonnell.”

Professor Andrew McDonnell BSc., MSc., PhD. is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist to and Director of Studio III Clinical Services; Director, clinical consultant and Team Leader to Studio III Training; formerly worked as a Clinical Psychologist in the NHS until 2002 as the manager of a service. Visiting Professor of Autism Studies at Birmingham City University. Andrew has a particular interest in the design of community settings for people who present a challenge. He has extensive experience of working with service users with a learning disability and/or Autism who self-harm.

Support the show