I am a special educator, traveler, meditator and nature lover. I like pauses, newness and change. I, like many, was in somewhat disbelief of the magnitude of COVID-19. Then I remembered what I have been chatting about with others for years: we need a global time-out. The kind of time-out that young children get when they don't follow the rules; the kind that I got quite frequently as a child. And for as much as I hated sitting on the steps leading from our living room to our

As we approach the start to another school year, my calendar is filling up with Professional Development sessions for teachers and administrators. I can share in depth about the science of behavior, and the analytical process of determining the function of human behavior, though what strikes people the most is this simple but true statement: "We get what we give." While most people instantly nod their heads in response to such a statement, it is not until they begin to reflec

There are many ways we attempt to control each other, often without realizing it. For youth with special needs, especially those who cannot easily communicate, it is critical that educators, parents and caregivers become aware of this tendency to control verses empower them to be in control of themselves. It was one of the clear lessons after spending my first year as a teaching assistant in a school serving students with autism, ages 3-21: my role is to educate students, not

In a crime-ridden, urban area, I watched a teacher lead a group of sixth graders with such dignity and grace that it felt like he was single-handedly passing out futures. It felt so foreign, I was mesmerized. The students sat at individual desks, facing the front of the classroom. They quietly raised their hands when the teacher posed questions or asked for volunteers. They watched the teacher and their peers write on the board, and copied responses on to the papers on their