Join us for “What Social Psychology Says About Behaviorism, and Five Things to Try Instead” with Dr. Arielle Silverman.

In this presentation, Dr. Silverman will share research and theory from social psychology explaining why behaviorism (rewards and punishments) so often fails to improve children's long-term behavior. She will then discuss five strategies to use in place of behaviorist methods: co-regulation, communicating clearly and reasonably about behavioral expectations, proactively solving problems, building a child's self-regulation toolbox, and intentional role modeling.

Arielle is a disabled activist and a social scientist who is passionate about improving public understanding of life with disabilities.

Professionally, she has spent fifteen years conducting research on the social psychology of disability. Personally, she has spent a lifetime learning and teaching with fellow members of the disability community.

An excerpt from Just Human:
"The most important thing I have discovered as a leader, a supervisor, an educator, and even an aunt, is that respect must be given before it can be received. When we offer respect and compassion to our children, our students, our employees, and others under our authority, we can bring out their full potential. What we get back is not just compliance and cooperation, but a real, mutual, human connection."

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Please join us for “Fighting Ableism and Exclusionary Practices in Schools: A Conversation with Kara Dymond.”

 Kara Dymond, Ph.D., is a late-diagnosed autistic/ADHD advocate, teacher, researcher, and award-winning teacher educator from Toronto, Canada. Her work supporting autistic students inspired her books Creating a Neurodiversity-Affirming Classroom (2025) and The Autism Lens (2020). Kara researches accessibility in graduate teacher education and teaches graduate courses on Accessible Education & Classroom Neurodiversity at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, attempting to counteract the segregated and ableist ways in which education faculties teach about learner variability.

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Please join us for “Lighting Up the Learning Brain: An Interview with Jessica Sinarski.”

Jessica Sinarski, LPCMH is an award-winning author, dynamic speaker, and the founder of BraveBrains. She has spent her entire career working with children who have challenging behaviors and the caring adults in their lives. She loves spicy food, Diet Coke, and her sweet, silly family…not in that order.

Jessica has worked with thousands of teachers, counselors, and administrators to get to the root of problematic student (and staff) behavior. She translates neuroscience into action steps through comprehensive professional development, diverse books, and practical tools for the classroom and beyond. Learn more at www.BraveBrains.com.

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Please join us for “No Restraint: Disabled Children and Institutionalized Violence in America's Schools, an Interview with Dr. Charles Bell.”

Dr. Charles Bell is an award-winning associate professor in the Department of Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University. His research explores how out-of-school suspension, seclusion, and restraint impact families and teachers throughout the U.S. The Society for the Study of Social Problems selected Dr. Bell’s book Suspended: Punishment, Violence, and the Failure of School Safety as a finalist for the C. Wright Mills Book Award. Additionally, he has worked a subject matter expert on school punishment, violence, and public health projects with the Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for School Safety. His scholarship has been featured on NBC News, NPR, Detroit News, PBS, and in several international media outlets. Dr. Bell has also served as an expert witness in state and federal school punishment cases. New York University Press will publish his next book, No Restraint: Disabled Children and Institutionalized Violence in America’s Schools, in February 2026.

Purchase the book here: https://amzn.to/3YZbacf

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Please join us for “Building Neuroinclusive Spaces Where Every Child Belongs” with Lauren Hough Williams.

Lauren (she/her) is a neurodiversity and inclusion specialist and an experienced special educator and is the Executive Director of the Program for Neurodiversity and Inclusion, or “PINE.” PINE educates and empowers schools and communities to embrace neurodiversity, creating inclusive, accessible, and supportive spaces for children wherever they go. Her work centers on building neuro-inclusive spaces where every child belongs.

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Please join us for “Understanding Autism in Context: A Discussion with Dr. Peter Vermeulen.”

Peter Vermeulen, PhD, has a Master's in Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Leuven, Belgium (1985) and a PhD in Psychology and Pedagogical Sciences at the University of Leiden, The Netherlands (2002). From 1987 until 1998, he worked for the Flemish Autism Association, first as a home trainer for families with a child with autism, later as director of the home training centre, and finally as a trainer/lecturer. Then, from 1998 till 2018, he was working as a senior autism consultant/lecturer/trainer at Autisme Centraal. He is the founder and director of ‘Autism in Context’.

He presents worldwide and has given keynote addresses at many international conferences, including the Autism Europe Congress, the World Autism Congress, the Asian Pacific Autism Conference, the National Autistic Society, and Scottish Autism.

He wrote over 150 articles on autism and is the author of more than 20 books on autism with translations into more than 10 languages, a.o. "This is the title: on autistic thinking” (2001), “I am Special: a handbook for psycho-education” (2000, revised edition 2013), “Autism as context blindness” (2012), a book that won several awards in the USA, “The predictive brain and autism” (2022), and “What really works with autistic children” (published in the USA in 2024). In 2019, he received the Passwerk Life Time Achievement Award for his more than 30 years of contribution to the autism community in Belgium.

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Please join us for “We Don't Need a 2.0 Version: Creating Neuroinclusive Schools by Rejecting Behaviorism and Neuronormativity” with Jenna Goldstein.

Jenna Goldstein, MS/CAGS, Certified School Psychologist, is an AuDHD woman, school psychologist, and parent to neurodivergent children – the '3' perspectives of her practice, 'ND3'. As such, Jenna brings a 360-degree view of children, families, and systems to her work. After 15 years as a school psychologist in public schools, Jenna launched ND3 to offer counseling to children and teens, consultations for caregivers and professionals, and trainings for organizations that are uncompromisingly neuro-affirming and neuroscience-informed. More at ND3. https://nd3.org/

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Please join us for “Reducing and Eliminating Restraint and Seclusion in Your State: An Interview with Cassie Atallah.”

Cassie Atallah is a Trauma Informed Changemaker with 10 years of teaching experience and 12 years of experience parenting her gifted, autistic son, who has become her greatest teacher. She has dedicated much of her time to learning about healthy, equitable approaches to extreme behavior. She shares this knowledge in her work as the co-founder and co-leader of EndSaR-MI and EndSaR-NJ, two organizations dedicated to creating safe schools without seclusion and restraint by finding creative ways to meet student needs in order to prevent meltdowns. She also creates content and offers coaching and training through inueri insight.

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Please join us for “Uncovering Cross Creek: From Survival to Screen” with Jessy Greer.

Jessy Greer is an actor, writer, and producer with over ten years of experience in entertainment. After moving from Houston to Los Angeles to study at AMDA College of the Performing Arts, she quickly established herself in the comedy scene, sharing the stage with comedians like Amy Schumer and Margaret Cho. Jessy's career spans acting credits on shows like Lessons in Chemistry and Hollywood, performing and writing sketch comedy, and co-producing her feature film 818, showcasing her range and passion for storytelling.

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Please join us for “How to Assess the Hidden Meaning Behind Behaviors” with Staci Neustadt and Susan Golubock.

Staci Neustadt, CEO of Making Sense of Autism®, is a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist with over 20 years of experience providing individual and group therapy, training, mentorship, and leadership. In 2019, Staci joined Susan in developing the Neuro Strengths Based Support for Autism framework. Staci is passionate about creating a paradigm shift for therapists to holistically support autistic clients and for autistic clients to feel seen and heard as they build on their strengths and contribute their gifts to their community.

Susan Golubock is a retired occupational therapist. She received her Masters degree in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University in 1968 and Masters of Education degree in special education technology in 1995. She was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum in 1999. Most of her career has been spent in school-based practice. Susan has been a keynote speaker and presenter at various conferences. Susan developed the Neuro-Strengths Based Support for Autism Framework, which comes from her personal experience as an autistic individual and professional experience as an occupational therapist who worked with autistic clients. She grew up trying to “be like everyone else;” she succeeded in masking but at the cost of never developing a sense of “self,” which led to symptoms of post-traumatic stress. When she was finally diagnosed in my early 50s, I learned that there were other options for how to think and behave, which radically changed my life for the better. Susan's passion is to educate parents and professionals so the autistic individuals in their lives are understood.

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