- Understand the neurobiology of stress and systemic trauma from the parent perspective to foster deeper empathy.
- Prioritize parent voice and student agency as the essential data for all educational and behavioral planning (IEP/504/EST).
- Apply neurodiversity-affirming frameworks to transition from deficit-based to strength-based planning and reporting.
- Recognize how to integrate supporting frameworks, such as multi-agency coordinated service plans, to bolster a student’s ecosystem without losing focus on the family alliance.
- Understand evidence-based relational repair protocols to navigate school/home ruptures.
Course Objectives:
- Evaluate Systems & Reframe Communication: Evaluate current school-to-home communication tools (behavior logs, referral forms, progress reports) to identify and remove blame-based language, shifting toward a neuro-affirming model that invites parent collaboration.
- Operationalize Student-Centered Planning: Implement strength-based frameworks for IEP, 504, and EST processes that prioritize parent voice and student agency as the primary data sources for educational and behavioral planning.
- Draft Strength-Based Goals: Translate traditional deficit-based behavioral observations into objective, asset-based goals that focus on self-advocacy, self-regulation, and functional independence.
- Apply Accessible Supports: Create visual, jargon-free “One-Pager” support resources that effectively translate classroom regulation strategies for home use without exceeding family capacity.
- Navigate Multi-Agency Systems: Utilize supporting frameworks, including state-level coordinated service plans, to lead inter-agency meetings that integrate school goals with community-based mental health supports.
- Synthesize Systemic Change: Synthesize course frameworks into a comprehensive “Partnership Re-Engagement Portfolio” designed to repair strained school-family relationships and promote sustainable, trust-based alliances.
Course Schedule:
WEEK 1: The Empathy Shift: Understanding Systemic Trauma
Readings: Reber (2018); Journal of Education for Teaching (2025)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #1, due Wednesday
• Assignment 1: The Empathy Audit, due Sunday
WEEK 2: The Legislative Bridge: Rights, Voice, & Policy
Readings: State Educational Policy (Act 173/264)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #2, due Wednesday
• Policy Reflection, due Sunday
WEEK 3: Flipping the Deficit: Strength-Based IEPs, 504s, & ESTs
Readings: Undivided (2026); Armstrong (2012)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #3, due Wednesday
• Assignment 2: Strength-Based Translation, due Sunday
WEEK 4: The Science of Connection: Co-Regulation Across Environments
Readings: Delahooke (2025)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #4, due Wednesday
• Co-Regulation Map, due Sunday
WEEK 5: Collaborative Tools: The Student-Centered “One-Pager”
Readings: Practitioner Guides (2025); Vermont Federation of Families (2025)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #5, due Wednesday
• Assignment 3: The “One-Pager” Profile, due Sunday
WEEK 6: The Collaborative Table: Leading with Alliance
Readings: Bowman (2025); Emerging Minds (2026)
Assignments:
• Discussion, Topic #6, due Wednesday
• Assignment 4: The Meeting Blueprint, due Friday
Projects:
• Final Summative Portfolio, due Sunday
Required Readings/Resources: (required resources not included in cost of course)
Bowman, D., & Bowman, R. (2025). Your FBA is a fantasy: A guidebook to creating truly trauma-informed, neuro-affirming functional behavior assessments. Emerging Minds.
Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. (2024). A neuroinclusive school model: Focus on the school, not on the child. https://cahs-acss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Neurodiversity_Full_Report_EN.pdf
Delahooke, M. (2025). The connected classroom: New brain science for teachers and parents. PESI Publishing.
Emerging Minds & Australian Institute of Family Studies. (2026). Neurodiversity-affirming practice in community mental health services. https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/
Journal of Education for Teaching. (2025). Family engagement efficacy beliefs of educators: Confirming a new measure. Journal of Education for Teaching, 51(1), 45–62.
State Agency of Education. (2024). The revised manual on the delivery of special education services: Section on parental involvement and the continuum of services. State Agency of Education.
Undivided. (2026). Strength-based IEP toolkit: Example goals and present levels. Undivided.io.
Other Suggested Readings/Resources:
Armstrong, T. (2012). Neurodiversity in the classroom: Strength-based strategies to help students with special needs succeed in school and life. ASCD.
Reber, D. (2018). Differently wired: Raising an exceptional child in a conventional world. Workman Publishing.
