De Facto Leaders

Those of us working in K-12 education interact with students and staff who have experienced trauma whether we’re aware of the specific events or not. 

A lot of people have heard the term “trauma-informed” care, but not everyone knows what it means or how to do it in practice.

That’s why I wanted to invite Rachel Archambault to episode 115 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about what trauma-informed care is and share how educators and therapists can put it into practice. 

Rachel Archambault, MA CCC-SLP is an SLP Program Specialist for Broward County Public Schools. After a traumatic event happened at her workplace on 2/14/18, she looked for ways to work with students (and herself) after trauma. She found trauma-informed care and has been presenting nationally to SLPs and other providers on how TIC can be used in their setting. She runs the Instagram account, @PTSD.SLP which discusses TIC from a speech lens.

In this conversation, she shares:

✅What exactly is trauma-informed care and how can those working in the schools provide a supportive environment for students? 

✅What school leaders need to know about being trauma-informed (and why it’s not just about the students). 

✅How to avoid re-traumatization, including the way you use language or other common triggers to be aware of.

✅Mistakes people make (even though they’re well-intended) and how you can build trust with students and colleagues who have experienced trauma.

You can connect with Rachel on her Instagram account here, her Facebook page here, and on LinkedIn here.  Her website (coming soon) is at ptsdslp.com.

In this episode, I mentioned my free online training for K-12 therapists who want to offer social and academic support that’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming. You can sign up for that free training here.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

A lot of professional development is still delivered in the lecture or workshop format, even though there’s evidence that this model doesn’t have a significant impact on student outcomes. 

So what do people working in K-12 education need to support students and have fulfilling careers? 

I started asking myself that question when I was working in the schools, and I stumbled upon the coaching industry. 

This led me to discover design-thinking, a process for solving problems and innovating; something I’d never heard of in my preservice training. 

Nowadays, people are more skeptical than ever about the scientific community. Many feel that the heavy focus on evidence-based practice ignores the human component that school professionals bring to the table. 

I see design-thinking as a way we can be evidence-based, innovative, and empathetic at the same time. 

That’s why I invited Dan Kelley from DPK Solutions to episode 114 to share how he uses design-thinking to coach school leaders.

Daniel P. Kelley is the veteran principal of Smithfield High School in Smithfield, RI. He is an educator, instructional leader, and innovator. Dan served as president of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) during the 2017-2018 school year and was a member of the NASSP Board of Directors for five years. He has served as a high school assistant principal; a high school and middle school special education teacher; and a middle school math and science teacher. He was named the Rhode Island Secondary Principal of the Year in 2012.

As a leader in education, Dan believes in challenging current instructional practices to provide creative and effective opportunities for students to learn, grow, and succeed. He is passionate about educational leadership that builds strong relationships with faculty and the community, utilizing social media to foster connections between educators, and establishing Personal Learning Networks for collaboration and professional development.

In this episode Dan shares:

✅Why your boss isn’t always the best person to coach you, and where you can go to get the support you need.  

✅How to use design-thinking to keep students engaged and provide real-life, project-based experiences that prepare them for adulthood.

✅What school staff need in a coach (and why it’s different depending on your role and your career goals).

You can connect with Dan on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dpk933/ on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/danielpkelley and on his website here: https://twitter.com/danielpkelley

In this episode, I mentioned my free online training for K-12 therapists who want to offer social and academic support that’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming. You can sign up for that free training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Supporting language and decoding are important pieces of helping kids grow up to be successful readers. But making it happen is way more complex than that. 

What happens when a child in 5th grade is reading at a first grade reading level? 

What if there are other barriers BESIDES just reading getting in the way; such as scheduling constraints, classroom management issues, or access to mentoring? 

What if kids don’t have access to books outside of school, and schools don’t have the funding to provide them with quality reading materials? 

I wanted to discuss these questions, and that’s why I invited educational consultant Cassandra Williams to episode 113 of the De Facto Leaders podcast. 

Cassandra Williams is a true innovator in the education field, having dedicated over 25 years of her life to revolutionizing existing systems and setting new standards of excellence. With a degree in Elementary Education from Southern Illinois University and a Master’s from California State University, she is also the founder of two successful elementary schools in Indianapolis. Her research has focused on coaching teachers to accelerate student achievement, often utilizing video and other technologies as learning tools. Her most recent passion is the Educational Innovation 360° e-Instructional Coaching System (click here to learn more: https://www.educationalinnovation360.com/), which she designed and developed in 2018.

On this episode, we discuss:

✅What are teachers struggling with when it comes to teaching reading? Do they always know where they need support? 

✅How to make school libraries and district events more inclusive and culturally responsive.

✅How can we make schools more inviting to parents so they can take an active role in their children’s education?

✅Three essential components of effective professional development, and why many workshops only address ONE of these components.

You can connect with Cassandra on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cassandra-williams-777b7927/, on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Edinnovation360, and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Educationalinnovation360/, on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/educationalinnovation360/

You can learn more about her coaching and professional development for schools and individuals at https://www.educationalinnovation360.com/

In this episode, I mention the School of Clinical Leadership, my program for related service providers who want to take a leadership role in implementing executive functioning support. You can learn more about the program here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

What do you do if your school administrator doesn’t fully understand your role and your expertise?

What if you have the information and knowledge they need to drive important decisions for your school? How can you get them to listen to your input? 

If you’re a therapist, educator, or aspiring school leader, these questions may have popped into your head from time to time. 

If that’s the case, it might feel like your boss (or maybe even your boss’s boss) has all the power. 

But what if that wasn’t the case? 

What if you could step into a leadership role NOW and be an advisor to those who are “technically” your superiors?

This is called “leading up”. 

In episode 112 of the De Facto Leaders podcast, I invited Jethro Jones on to talk about how to be a leader, no matter your job title.

Jethro Jones, is a national award-winning former school leader, podcaster, and author of the books "How to be a Transformative Principal" (click here to read more: https://www.amazon.com/How-Transformative-Principal-Jethro-Jones/dp/1915261090) and "SchoolX: How principals can design a transformative school experience for the people right in front of them! (click here to read more: https://www.amazon.com/SchoolX-principals-transformative-experience-themselves/dp/1913622118). He is also the founder of the BE Podcast Network (click here to learn more: https://bepodcast.network/ ), the best educational podcast network out there. Jethro currently consults school leaders on strategies to help them save time, lead more effectively, and overcome their own weaknesses. Jethro has worked as a principal at all K-12 levels, including a prison school, a district coach, distance learning team lead, and English teacher.

In this conversation, he shares:

✅How to “lead up” to your school administrator when they need your input on programming decisions (even if they don’t realize it yet). 

✅How to “lead out” to other people on your team, even if they’re resistant to changing their practices.

✅How to make a case to your school leader for more resources and support, even if it’s not in the budget.

You can connect with Jethro Jones on LinkedIn here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jethrojones/, and listen to the Transformative Principal Podcast or learn more about how to work with Jethro on his website here: https://www.jethrojones.com/ You can also learn more about the BE podcast network for aspiring school leaders here: https://bepodcast.network/

You can take the quiz on how to level up in your career as an educator/leader here: https://moveup.transformativeprincipal.com/?utm_source=dfl

You can listen to the School AI podcast where we discuss AI, interdisciplinary units, and executive functioning featuring Dr. Karen here: https://youtu.be/KqUzRRKQvO8

In this episode, I mentioned my free online training for K-12 therapists who want to offer social and academic support that’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming. You can sign up for that free training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

“Behavior problems” are an external sign of what’s going on internally. 

In order to support kids who are being referred for behavioral concerns, we need to address these internal skills proactively. 

That’s why I invited consultant and educator Lisa Navarra to episode 111 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about self-regulation.

Lisa M. Navarra, M.S. in Special Education, SDA, award-winning educator and published author of children’s books, music, and teacher resources provides professional development and individual services teaching the “how to learn” skills for children who struggle learning and self-regulating. 

Lisa has been invited to speak at schools, libraries, and organizations where she has transformed resistant learners into students who learn the skills in how to focus and believe in themselves! Lisa’s dedication to supporting schools and families extends beyond her books and resources and includes her podcast, “Student Success Beyond Expectations” Podcast. Click here to learn more: https://childbehaviorconsulting.com/podcasts/

In this interview, we discuss:

✅Common misconceptions surrounding behavior problems and the role of internal regulation. 

✅How to make sure kids get support across their day; including on the bus and in the hallways.
 

✅What to do when stimming is seen as a behavior problem, and how to help kids get sensory needs met and self-advocate. 

You can connect with Lisa on her website here: https://childbehaviorconsulting.com/

Follow her on Instagram: http://@lisanavarraedu or on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildBehaviorConsulting

You can find her podcast here: https://childbehaviorconsulting.com/podcasts/ or listen to episodes on her Youtube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@childbehaviorconsulting1650  

In this episode, I mentioned my Executive Functions Implementation Guide that shares how school therapists can lead their IEP teams in providing mental health, behavioral, and social skills support for K-12 kids. 
You can download this free resource here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efschools

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Do autistic people experience empathy? 

Does masking cause trauma? 

How do we help neurodivergent kids form relationships in a way that’s accepting of their differences?

These are questions that I get from clinicians on a regular basis that I’ve also wondered about myself.

That’s why when I created The School of Clinical Leadership, I made sure to include research and strategies to help guide clinicians through answering these questions. 

In episode 110 of the De Facto Leaders podcast, I’m sharing a recording that comes directly from the School of Clinical Leadership course library. 

In the video, I’ll cover why teaching situational awareness is so important for social relationships and self-advocacy, and why it’s a skill that can help clinicians navigate the nuances of effective and affirming intervention.

This episode is taken directly from the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps K-12 clinicians provide executive functioning support for their caseloads. You can learn more about the program here: https://www.drkarendudekbrannan.com/clinicalleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

If you’re a therapist or educator working in the schools, there’s a high probability that the administrator who does your employee evaluation isn’t a subject-matter expert in your discipline.

If they are, you’re certainly in the minority. This is because it’s impossible to find a school administrator who’s held every single job in the school system.

On top of that, employee evaluations are incredibly time-consuming, making it difficult for school leaders to provide the mentorship and coaching to help their staff make changes to their practices. 

That’s why I invited senior high school principal Eric Makelky to episode 109 of the De Facto Leaders podcast to talk about employee evaluations.

In this interview we discuss:

✅Why some school administrators don’t give specific feedback on evaluations

✅Just how much time is your principal spending on evaluations? Is the employee evaluation like IEP paperwork for administrators? 

✅The mindset and qualities you need to make the evaluation experience valuable, even if your administrator has never been in your position.

You can connect with Eric Makelky on Twitter here: http://@emakelky

He’s currently the interim host of the Transformative Principal podcast with Jethro Jones. Be sure to check out the episode titled “What If They Don't Want Feedback with Eric Makelky and Jethro Jones”   for a great discussion on employee evaluations.

Click here to view more: https://www.jethrojones.com/podcast/episode519 

In this episode, I also mentioned my free online training where I share how to help students thrive socially, emotionally, and academically with executive functioning support. In the training, I share why some students still struggle with social skills, even though they’re going to social skills groups.  

You can sign up for the free training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

Doing a quality evaluation when you’re assessing things like language can be a challenge because there isn’t one “magic bullet” test that gives us what we need. 

What is even more challenging is when you get a referral to evaluate a client that speaks two or more languages; especially when they’re languages you don’t speak. 

Unfortunately, monolingual clinicians get referrals for multilingual evaluations all the time. 

That’s why I invited Meg Morgan, Speech-Language Pathologist and Clinical Assistant Professor from the University of New Hampshire to episode 108 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast to talk about multilingual evaluations.

This episode will be extremely valuable to you for ALL language evaluations; even monolingual clients. 

In this interview we discuss:

✅The biggest myths about bilingualism and language proficiency, and why it’s not as simple as we think

✅How to prepare yourself to evaluate a client who speaks a language you don’t speak

✅How to gather evidence to share with your team, even if you don’t have formal test scores

✅Why doing a thorough evaluation saves you time in the long run; and how to streamline the process

You can connect with Meg on LinkedIN here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-morgan-039778144/

You can also watch her presentation Multilingual Evaluations by Monolingual SLPs on speechpathology.com here: https://www.speechpathology.com/slp-ceus/course/multilingual-evaluations-by-monolingual-slps-9364                                                                                       (paid membership is required to view this training)

Meg mentioned the following resources in this episode:

Bilinguistics - Click here to read more: https://bilinguistics.com/

The Leaders Project - Click here to read more: https://www.leadersproject.org/

SALT - Click here to read more: https://www.saltsoftware.com/

In this episode, I mentioned the Ultimate Guide to Sentence Structure, my free guide for clinicians that outlines common sentence types that support comprehension in students who are learning English or who have disabilities that impact language learning. You can sign up for a free copy here: https://drkarenspeech.com/sentencestructure

In this episode, I mentioned my Executive Functions Implementation Guide that shares how school therapists can lead their IEP teams in providing mental health, behavioral, and social skills support for K-12 kids. You can download this free resource here:  https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efschools

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

What’s evidence-based and neurodiversity-affirming shouldn’t be in opposition. Effective interventions that build resilience and help kids build healthy relationships should be “affirming” by definition.

Yet many clinicians remain confused about how to apply this to practice; especially when it comes to things like “social skills” or “pragmatic language”.

One of the most common complaints I hear across disciplines when it comes to social skills support is that students don’t generalize skills. I’ve heard this from psychologists, SLPs, social workers, counselors, among others. 

The solution to the generalization problem is ALSO the answer to making intervention    ND-affirming and EBP. 

In order to do this, we need to teach the right skills with the right service delivery model. 

In episode 107 of the De Facto Leaders podcast, I share how to do this. 

I cover:

✅Why adult-led social skills groups that teach social rules lead to poor carryover

✅The two skills that should be a part of every social skills intervention plan

✅The three components to and effective service delivery model (and why pull-out therapy alone doesn’t work).

In this episode, I also mentioned my free online training where I share how to help students thrive socially, emotionally, and academically with executive functioning support. In the training, I share why some students still struggle with social skills, even though they’re going to social skills groups. You can sign up for the free training here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efleadership

To get the information in written form, check out my Executive Functioning Implementation Guide here: https://drkarendudekbrannan.com/efschools

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.

I was honored to have Sharon Fuller, founder of The Attachment Place, LLC as a guest for episode 106 of the “De Facto Leaders” podcast.

Sharon began her journey with developmental trauma disorder (DTD), also known as reactive attachment disorder (RAD), when she and her husband first adopted in 2005. She is a mom to nine children, six biological and three who were added to their family through adoption. When confronting the effects of the trauma their adopted children had endured she realized they were ill-prepared to parent them and for the impact their trauma would have on their entire family. Sharon is a trained transformational coach and respite provider. 

During that time, she developed an approach that is effective in breaking down walls and reaching the hearts of children with trauma histories and attachment challenges.

From 2012-2019, the Attachment Place helped close to one hundred children transition successfully to their homes and form attachments to their parents. That’s why I knew Sharon would be an amazing guest. 

In this interview we discuss:

✅Why kids with reactive attachment disorder need clear boundaries to feel safe and form relationships. 

✅Why kids who have experienced trauma appear independent, and why they must shift to being dependent on parents before they can reach healthy independence. 

✅Why permissive parenting approaches can cause anxiety for the whole family.

✅Why parent coaching is a non-negotiable when working with trauma, and how she supports parents through her “environment matrix” framework. 

You can connect with Sharon on her website for The Attachment Place or on Facebook here. She runs a Facebook group called Quieting the Storm of Adoption Parents’ Group. You can learn more about her framework for supporting families on her free training here, and can email her at [email protected].

In this episode, Sharon mentioned this study that showed that putting a fence around a playground can increase creative exploration in preschoolers. 

In this episode, I mentioned my Executive Functions Implementation guide that shares how school therapists can lead their IEP teams in providing mental health, behavioral, and social skills support for K-12 kids. You can download this free resource here. 

In this episode, I also mentioned the School of Clinical Leadership, my program that helps pediatric clinicians be better leaders, make a bigger impact with their services, and lead their teams in providing executive functioning support for kids at the K-12 level. You can learn more about how to become a member here.

Learn more about today's sponsors, Playworks and IXL:

We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time. 

These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation. 

We’re also thrilled to be sponsored by IXL. 

IXL’s comprehensive teaching and learning platform for math, language arts, science, and social studies is accelerating achievement in 95 of the top 100 U.S. school districts. Loved by teachers and backed by independent research from Johns Hopkins University, IXL can help you do the following and more:

• Simplify and streamline technology
• Save teachers’ time
• Reliably meet Tier 1 standards
• Improve student performance on state assessments

🚀 Ready to see why leading districts trust IXL for their educational needs? Visit IXL.com/BE today to learn more about how IXL can elevate your school or district.