AASR Live

Join us for this exciting interview and learn about the Polyvagal Theory and autonomic physiology.

In 1994 Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders. 

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe, (Norton, 2017) and co-editor of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018). He is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ , which currently is used by more than 1400 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement.

Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium and is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. He is the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in mental and physical health.

https://www.stephenporges.com

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Connections Over Compliance: Rewiring Our Perceptions of Discipline an interview with Lori Desautels, Ph.D. 

Children who carry chronic behavioral challenges are often met with reactive and punitive practices that can potentially reactivate the developing stress response systems. 

This book deeply addresses the need for co-regulatory and relational touch point practices, shifting student-focused behavior management protocols to adult regulated brain and body states which are brain aligned, preventive, and relational discipline protocols. This new lens for discipline benefits all students by reaching for sustainable behavioral changes through brain state awareness rather than compliance and obedience.

Lori is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Butler University College of Education / Former special education teacher and school counselor and currently teaching applied educational neuroscience / brain and trauma to undergraduates and graduate candidates in the certification program. For the past six years, I have returned to the classroom co-teaching in multiple grade levels two mornings a week bringing these strategies and practices into the classroom preparing the brain to learn while dampening down our stress responses systems and attuning to the developing brain states of our children and youth. Author of several publications and writer for Edutopia.

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Join Shain Neumeier and Lydia X. Z. Brown in conversation about the connections between youth rights, disability justice, and racial justice movements in addressing coercive and forced treatment, institutionalization, and mass criminalization. They will discuss the connections between applied behavior analysis and conversion therapy, the history of the Judge Rotenberg Center's electric shock torture, and the deinstitutionalization and decarceration movements.

Shain Neumeier is a lawyer, activist, and community organizer, as well as an out and proud member of the disabled, trans, queer, and asexual communities. Their passion on the issue of ending abuse and neglect of youth with disabilities in schools and treatment facilities stems from their own experiences with involuntary medical treatment and bullying, and led them to go to law school. They have pursued their goal of using legal advocacy to address these problems ever since. Shain's work appears in Autistic Activism and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontlines, Resistance and Hope: Crip Wisdom for the People, Rewire News, and Loud Hands: Autistic People, Speaking.

Among other honors, they were named the Massachusetts Bar Association's Outstanding Young Lawyer in 2018, the Self Advocacy Association of New York State's Self Advocate of the Year in 2017, and the Association of University Centers on Disabilities' Leadership in Advocacy Awardee in 2015. Shain has previously worked with the Intersex and Genderqueer Recognition Project, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, and the Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth. When not working, they're probably crafting, playing Dungeons & Dragons, listening to history podcasts, or watching Netflix with their partner and three feline roommates.

Lydia X. Z. Brown is a disability justice advocate, organizer, educator, attorney, strategist, and writer whose work has largely focused on interpersonal and state violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people living at the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, nation, and language. They are Policy Counsel for the Privacy and Data Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology; Adjunct Lecturer in Disability Studies for Georgetown University's Department of English; and Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs at the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network. They are also founder and volunteer director of the Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color's Interdependence, Survival, and Empowerment. Currently, they serve as a founding board member of the Alliance for Citizen Directed Supports, presidential appointee to the American Bar Association's Commission on Disability Rights, and chair of the American Bar Association's Section on Civil Rights & Social Justice, Disability Rights Committee.

Previously, Lydia worked on disability rights and algorithmic fairness at Georgetown Law's Institute for Tech Law and Policy, served as Justice Catalyst Legal Fellow for the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and worked at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network as a member of the national policy team. They are former Chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council, Visiting Lecturer at Tufts University, Holley Law Fellow at the National LGBTQ Task Force, and Patricia Morrissey Disability Policy Fellow at the Institute for Educational Leadership. While a student, Lydia was a legal extern/student practitioner for the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services, student attorney in the Prisoners' Rights Clinic, and investigative intern for the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.

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In this presentation, Cheryl Poe will review the key regulations and laws that offer protection to students with disabilities. We will discuss how to use these protections when advocating for Black and Brown with disabilities.

Cheryl Poe is the Director of Diversity Issues at the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint.

Cheryl Poe is the founder and owner of Advocating 4 Kids, Inc a Special Education Advocacy organization that provides resources, information, and workshops to parents and professionals with a special focus on addressing needs of Black and Brown children and those from lower-socio economic status. Cheryl is the mother two boys with learning disabilities ages 23 and 21.

We will also be joined by Maria Davis-Pierre of Autism in Black Inc.

Maria graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelors of Science in Sociology and went on to obtain a Masters of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University. As a licensed mental health therapist, Maria primarily works with parents to provide support through education and advocacy training. Her passion for working in the field stems from her personal journey with ASD when her daughter received the diagnosis at a very early age.

In addition to therapy, Maria dons many other titles including coach, speaker, advocate, and author. Her first published work, a Self-Care Affirmation Journal, is currently available for purchase on Amazon. Maria’s unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a child on the spectrum. 

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Join us for a special interview with Ron Garrison. Ron will discuss how to use civil litigation against the use of restraint and seclusion.

Beyond alternative dispute resolution and due process complaints, litigation proceedings against school district officials can become an injunctive alternative when harmful restrictive forms of restraint and seclusion are used against students. Employing the tool of civil litigation, injured parties use discovery and the rule of law to uncover harmful policies and practices that might not be possible through other means. However, litigation is often a lengthy, difficult and costly process. In this streaming event by an expert witness in school safety, learn how litigation can become a path to eradicate harmful aversive practices in your school.

Ron Garrison, M.A., M.S., is a former public school teacher, school safety consultant and expert witness in civil litigation. As an expert witness, he has participated in eighty-five court proceedings; many involving special education students. Because Mr. Garrison is not an attorney, he cannot comment on individual cases but he can explain his courtroom experiences and assist participants with their understanding of civil litigation.

During Ron’s diverse professional career, he taught public high school, was director of student services for a school district, trained teachers and school administrators in safety, classroom supervision, conflict resolution and violence prevention in thirty-eight states and Canada, worked with the United States Departments of Justice and Education as a school safety advisor, trained police and school security, consulted with jail and prison medical staff in seven states, testified as an expert witness in eighty-five litigation matters, introduced teachers and school administrators to resilient-based student interventions, created a law academy and advocated restorative justice programs. 

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The Reflective Journey is a practitioner’s handbook to the low arousal approach, written by Studio 3 CEO Professor Andrew McDonnell. 

Professor Andrew McDonnell’s new practitioner guide really is a reflective journey. A strong theme throughout all of the chapters is that we must look at our own behaviour first in order to manage highly stressful situations. We spoke to him about what to expect from the upcoming publication, and the meaning behind the book’s title.

Andrew McDonnell BSc., MSc., PhD. Consultant Clinical Psychologist to and Director of Studio III Clinical Services; Director, clinical consultant and Team Leader to Studio III Training; formerly Clinical Psychologist to Monyhull Hospital Birmingham. Andrew has particular interest in the design of community settings for people who challenge. He has extensive experience of working with service users with a learning disability and/or an ASD who self harm. 

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Join us for this special interview. Learn about an internationally recognized model school for trauma-informed practices from Mathew Portell. 

Mathew Portell has dedicated a decade and a half to education in his role as a teacher, instructional coach, teacher mentor, and school administrator. It is through the collaborative team approach and building positive relationships that Portell is leading his school into success. He is currently in his fifth year as principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an internationally recognized innovative model school for trauma-informed practices in Metro Nashville Public Schools. The school’s work has been featured on National Public Radio, the local documentary Enough, PBS, and Edutopia, one of the world’s top educational practices website funded by the George Lucas Foundation which resulted in over 7,000,000 views. Principal Portell has had the honor of presenting Fall-Hamilton’s work to both the Tennessee State Legislative, Senate Education Committees, as well as the National Conference for State Legislators. He has also spoke to some the U.S. most influential educators who serve on the National Commission of Social Emotional and Academic
Development. In 2018, his work was featured in a monthly blog in Education Week tilted "Learning is Social and Emotional" where he documented the journey of sustaining a trauma-informed school. He is the founder of the Trauma Informed Educators Network Group on Facebook which has connected nearly 25,000 educators in over 100 different countries! In July 2019 he launched the first annual Trauma Informed Educators Network conference which was attended by 150 people from around the world! In September of 2019 he launched the Trauma Informed Educators Network Podcast. Through this podcast he is viewing educators and practitioners from around the globe in which they are sharing their own trauma-informed journeys.

Portell has presented at a variety of conferences internationally including Healthy Nashville Summit, Tennessee State Behavioral Conference, Conditions for Learning, LEAD Conference, National Music City SEL Conference, SCORE and many more. He was featured as the keynote speaker of the Tennessee Organization of School Superintendents, New Teacher Academy, and multiple Leader in Me National Symposiums around the country. In January 2019, he was the keynote speaker at the Towards Trauma Informed Practices in Northampton, England and returned to England in October of 2019 as a featured speaker at the Hertfordshire Virtual School Conference. He provided a CAD Talk at the 2019 Tennessee Children's Advocacy day which inspired children advocates from around the state! He also recently served on an expert panel as a part of community event in Fort Worth, TX called Raising of Fort Worth, NOAH Resilience Screening, and various others. He has served as a facilitator of professional learning at David Lipscomb University, Murfreesboro City Schools, Coffee County Schools, Lawrence County Schools, Roane County Schools, Charvelvoix ISD in Michigan, Milton Hershey Public Schools in Pennsylvania amongst other organizations. He has participated in multiple webinars including Ukeru Systems, Trauma-Informed Positive Behavior Support, Love in a Big World, Tennessee Department of Children Services /Tennessee Commission Children and Youth, and Small Act Big Impact. The highlight of his speaking opportunities occurred in February 2020, where was a featured speaker at the National Education Foundation Association's Teacher Gala in Washington D.C. The gala is designed to honor and inspire the countries top educators. from each of the 50 states.

Mathew’s work extends past his educational experience. As a classroom teacher in 2008, he combined his passion for literacy and cycling and founded the double award winning national non-profit Ride for Reading. 

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Diane will share her views on behavioral support with an emphasis on prevention. Her approach strives to be respectful, sensible and effective.

Diane has a private practice outside of Chicago. Before that she had worked in schools and for private agencies for 30 years. She is a social worker with an interest and certification in behavior change.

https://www.dianegouldtherapy.com

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Back in November an investigation by ProPublica and Chicago Tribune exposed what seclusion and restraint is like for students in Illinois Public Schools. Over a period of a school year and half prone restraint was used on 1,300 students in Illinois public schools. As you likely know, prone restraint is when a person is held face down on the floor or ground just as was done with Max Benson, George Floyd, Cornelius Fredrick, and a number of other children and adults who have also lost their lives from this practice. It’s recorded that 30 IL school students complained “I can’t breathe” yet the restraint went on. One student said “your gonna get me dead.” Over two dozen times injuries were severe enough that an ambulance had to be called. The US Dept of education has given guidance that “prone restraints… should neve be used because they can cause serious injury or death.” Even one instance of physical restraint can cause traumatization. The majority of the students subjected to seclusion and restraint have behavioral or intellectual disabilities. 

The ISBE acted fast after the investigation was published in an article titled Quiet Rooms, and emergency rules were put into place banning the use of isolated seclusion and prone-restraint.

Jonathan Carroll is serving his second term as the state representative for Illinois’ 57th House District. He decided to serve because the Representative cares about his community. Jonathan wants to ensure that his children see the better side of politics and learn to love the state as much as he does. In addition to his work as a state representative, Jonathan helps individuals with various cognitive challenges like ADHD meet personal, professional and educational goals. As a certified Special Education teacher, Jonathan has been helping individuals his whole career. The Representative is a lifelong resident of Illinois. Jonathan’s passions reflect the community: creating jobs, reducing Illinois’ massive property tax burden, ensuring great schools, sensible gun control, consolidating redundant layers of government and protecting a woman’s right to choose. Jonathan received a B.A. in Communications from DePaul University in Chicago and a M.A. in Learning Disabilities from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Jonathan lives with his wife Katrina and two children in Northbrook, Illinois.

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Join us for this special interview. An attorney’s perspective of how to reduce the use of restraint and to eliminate seclusion.

Leslie Seid Margolis is a managing attorney at Disability Rights Maryland, Maryland’s protection and advocacy agency, where she has worked since 1985. In her practice at DRM, she handles individual special education cases and engages in special education policy work at the local, state and national levels, and she has extensive experience with systemic urban school reform litigation, having co-counseled the 28 year Baltimore City Vaughn G. case for many years. Ms. Margolis is a frequent presenter at local, state and national trainings and conferences, and has published technical assistance documents, manuals, and articles. She has been a member of several national boards, including TASH, the Epilepsy Foundation and COPAA, and currently sits on several Maryland-based boards. In 2014, Ms. Margolis was the co-recipient of COPAA’s Diane Lipton Award for Outstanding Advocacy. She received the Outstanding Advocate of the Year award from The Arc Maryland in 2017.

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