Creating Trauma-Informed, Neurodiversity-Affirming Schools : How to Move from Restraint and Seclusion to Safe and Nurturing Learning Environments

Everything educators need to know about developing inclusive trauma-informed and neurodiversity-affirming practices in schools. It outlines why current approaches to behavioral management disadvantage marginalized children and how schools and communities can do better for children, teachers, and families.

In many schools, marginalized children are chronically misunderstood in the name of behavioral management. Many traditional approaches to classroom management focus on compliance and the use of rewards and consequences. Children with disabilities, neurodivergent children, Black and brown children, and children with a trauma history are at greater risk of being misunderstood and of being subjected to punitive and exclusionary discipline when their behavior doesn't align with a compliance-based approach. What would a different approach - based on curiosity, connection and felt safety - look like in classrooms? Covering theory and practice, this book is based on five principles that can help you create the right conditions for students to thrive. It's about shifting from compliance to a trauma-informed, neuroscience-aligned, neurodiversity-affirming, relationship-driven, and collaborative approach. You'll learn how to create an inclusive classroom environment and create meaningful change for children, families, and your educational community.