AASR Live

Please join us for “The Unspoken Emotional Labor of Advocacy” with Santanna Ficken. Santanna Ficken - They/Them Santanna is an AuDHDer with a PDA profile whose perspective is deeply shaped by both lived experience and years spent serving children, families, and school teams as a Mental Health Practitioner. Through Minnesota Neurodivergent Education Advocacy and Therapy Services (MnNEAT), they hold...

Please join us for “Transformative Mindfulness in Education: A Discussion with Dr. Rhiannon Kim.” Rhiannon Kim, Ed. D., CGS-RBA, M.S., CCC-SLP, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, is an educator, facilitator, and consultant working with schools and other organizations who are seeking to integrate socially just and trauma-informed practices and ways of being into their work. Prior to her current work, she served i...

Please join us for "Stop the Shock: A Panel Discussion about the Judge Rotenberg Center” with members of the Stop the Shock Coalition. Elisa Hunt Driven by the loss of a loved one to institutional abuse, Elisa Hunt is an advocate and coalition leader specializing in institutional care accountability and disability rights. As the lead organizer of the Stop the Shock Coalition, she coordinates...

Please join us for “Challenges and Progress: A Panel Discussion with our New Zealand Friends” with Jase Williams, Lynda Knight, Frian Wadia, and Kathryn Berkett. Jase Williams is a TEDx Speaker who has 25 years of experience working as an educator and is the former Principal of Henry Hill School who won the prestigious Prime Minister’s Education Excellence Award - Wellbeing - the top education awa...

Please join us for “Positive Behavior Supports Are Compliance-Based” with Jillian Enright. Jillian Enright is the founder of Neurodiversity Manitoba and has been working as a neurodiversity specialist and advocate since 2017. Being Autistic and ADHD, and the parent of a neurodivergent child, Jillian brings a unique combination of personal, professional, and academic experience to her work Support...

Please join us for “A Body of Evidence: An Interview with S. M. Korhonen on her New Book.” S. M. Korhonen writes about family life, disability, and public systems. With a background in engineering and complex systems work, Korhonen brings an evidence-driven lens to lived experience, tracing how assumptions harden into practice and how institutions struggle to see what does not fit their expectatio...

Please join us for “Ease the Pain in the Classroom: Creating Safety and Regulation for Every Student” with Dr. Bethany Bilodeau. Dr. Bethany Bilodeau, an expert in human behavior with a Doctorate of Arts in Leadership, has a remarkable career that began teaching high school biology in Guam. She has designed innovative programs to help students achieve academic success and holds numerous certificat...

Please join us for “The Informed Parent: Navigating Autism Services and Advocacy, an Interview with Anne Borden King.” Anne Borden King is a Toronto-based podcaster, writer and human rights advocate. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Healthy Debate and the Thinking Person's Guide to Autism, among other publications. She is the host of Noncompliant, a popular podcast about neurodive...

Please join us for “When 'That Kid' Becomes the Teacher,” a presentation with Lindsay Rice.  Lindsay Rice is an elementary educator, presenter, and advocate based in Columbus, Ohio, dedicated to advancing equitable education for neurodivergent learners. With over a decade of experience presenting for organizations such as the National Education Association (NEA), Ohio Education Associati...

Please join us for “Neuroaffirming Advocacy: Dr. Destiny Huff Joins Us to Discuss Her New Book on Navigating Special Education.” Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, is an Autistic and ADHD therapist, special education advocate, author, and parent of two neurodivergent learners. She supports families and professionals in developing neuroaffirming, strengths-based practices that center access, autonomy, regulati...

Please join us for “Understanding the Impact of Restraint and Seclusion: A Professional Panel Discussion.” Dr. Arielle Silverman, PhD, is a researcher by trade and an advocate for all disabled people. Blind since birth, she holds a Ph. D. in social psychology and works as the director of research at the American Foundation for the Blind. Her memoir, Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Res...

Please join us for “Diving into Michigan Restraint and Seclusion Data: A Discussion with Matt Rische.” Matt Rische is an educator with more than a decade of experience supporting students with intensive behavioral needs. A certified Trauma & Resilience Specialist, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention instructor, and former Ukeru instructor, Matt has dedicated his career to helping schools reduce dan...

Please join us for “Creating a Culture of Gentleness: It's About Connecting, Not Correcting” with Dr. Anthony M. McCrovitz. Dr. Anthony M. McCrovitz is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Mental Health Counselor with over 30 years of experience specializing in child development, neurodiversity, and holistic mental health practices. As Executive Director of the Quality of Life Institute, he p...

Please join us for “The Grand Guide: A New Book for Grandparents of Neurodivergent Grandchildren from Sheena Hill.” Sheena Hill is a trauma-informed, neurobiologically-focused responsive parenting coach who has been in private practice for 16 years. At Parenting Works, she works with families around the world. Sheena provides education and support for parents and professionals who seek to move bey...

Please join us for “Rooted in Hope: An Interview with Katie McDonald.” Katie McDonald is an educator, consultant, and therapist with over 22 years of experience in trauma-responsive schools, neuro-informed teaching/parenting, and emotional well-being. Katie has dedicated her career to empowering educators and families through a deep understanding of resilience, often called the science of hope. Su...

Please join us for “Leveling the Playing Field in School Safety: Lauren Sukhu Shares What She Learned from Her Honors Thesis Project.” Lauren Sukhu, from Dallas, graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.S.A. in biology, a minor in Hindi, and a certificate in evidence and inquiry. A member of the Polymathic Scholars Honors program, she conducted research at Dell Medical School on e...

Please join us for “The Problem with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports” with Rebecca Engle. Rebecca Engle is an autistic educator, author, and speaker based in Texas. She is the founder of Stitches and Stanzas, where she blends creativity, advocacy, and education to support neurodivergent individuals and the people who teach and love them. Rebecca is an international best-selling auth...

Please join us for “Creating Trauma-Sensitive Schools Conference: A Discussion with Tracy Leonard.” Tracy Leonard serves as the Executive Director of the Attachment & Trauma Network (ATN), bringing extensive experience in child advocacy, prevention, and trauma-informed education. Before stepping into the Executive Director role, Tracy served as ATN’s Board President (2023–2025), helping guide...

Please join us for “Building a Trauma-Informed School: What to do When All Your Students Are Traumatized” with Kathleen Hilchey. Kathleen Hilchey spent over 10 years in the classroom and 10 more in camping. She is a conflict specialist and a Qualified Mediator. She also founded a trauma-informed student-directed school called The Village School. Most importantly, she is the mom of 3 beautiful kids...

Please join us for “Multi-tiered Systems of Support for Adults: A Discussion with Dr. Lori Desautels.” Dr. Lori Desautels began teaching undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Education at Butler University in 2016. She was previously an Assistant Professor at Marian University in Indianapolis for eight years, where she started the Educational Neuroscience Symposium, which is now in...

Please join us for “The Early Years Guidebook: A Discussion with Emily Read Daniels and Chrissy Dagostino.” Emily Read Daniels is the author and creator of The Regulated Classroom™. Daniels is an internationally recognized trainer and has served thousands through in-person and virtual professional development training, workshops, conferences, webinars, and keynote addresses. Daniels and her work h...

Please join us for “Understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: A Discussion with Jenn Wisdahl and Kristen Eriksen.” Jenn Wisdahl leads strategy and operations at FASD United, the national organization supporting people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and promoting healthy pregnancies. With FASD impacting 1 in 20 Americans, a critical part of her role involves the national legislat...

Please join us for “Applied Self-Reg for Education Assistants: A New Book by Susan Hopkins and Kristin Wiens.” Susan Hopkins is Executive Director of The MEHRIT Centre, Dr. Stuart Shanker’s organization and the home of the Self-Reg framework. An international leader in Self-Reg, she co-creates online courses with Dr. Shanker that have reached thousands of educators worldwide. With more than 25 yea...

Please join us for “When 'Doing Well' Is a Warning Sign: The Cost of Holding It Together at School” with Courtney Hart. Courtney Hart, LCSW-C, is the founder of Healing Hart Wellness, where she specializes in supporting ADHDers and Autistic people through evaluations, parent consultation, and therapy. Courtney also writes two newsletters on Substack: one focused on supporting parents and...

Please join us for “Providing Neurodiversity-Affirming Support: A Relational Neuroscience-Informed Child and Youth Care Perspective” with Nancy Marshall.  Nancy Marshall (she/her) (PhD, MA CYC, RSW) is a Child and Youth Care (CYC) practitioner, a registered social worker (RSW), an educational consultant, and a part-time instructor in the Faculty of Education at York University teaching Disability...