10 Ways to Foster a Supportive Learning Environment for Our Students

As teachers and parents of students with special sensory processing needs and abilities, we know that creating a supportive learning environment is crucial for their success. It can be a challenge to meet the unique needs of each student, but by implementing these 10 design strategies, we can work together to create a safe, welcoming, and effective learning environment for all our students. Students with sensory processing needs may become overwhelmed in traditional classroom settings. Consider creating sensory-friendly spaces where […]

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Dinosaurs apparently smelled flowers, nature sounds become a multi-million dollar industry, and a perspective shift in what students value in writers

“McKamey argues that the most important skill for a teacher is his or her ability to build trust with a student, which develops when students can sense that the educator is willing to hear their ideas, thoughts, and musings despite their challenges with grammar, low grades, or test scores in previous classes. This doesn’t mean that teachers need to cushion their feedback with fake praise, but it does mean, she thinks, that schools should help teachers develop skills to recognize […]

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Presumptions of deficit can be damaging, embracing rather than masking autism can open the door for happiness, and piercing ASMR supercuts found in Harry Potter #takethemaskoff

“I have seen some autistic people argue that blaming society for our difficulties is shirking personal responsibility and that we should be aiming to ‘improve’ ourselves. This stance says a lot about their conceptualisation of autism: If one sees autistic people as deficient or lacking in some way compared to non-autistic people then it is understandable that one would believe that acting more like a non-autistic person is “self-improvement.” I do not see autism that way at all. All humans […]

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A social story for separation anxiety: “A Smile Goodbye”

What can I do when we have to go to work? This social story about why school and work are important, who will care for me there, and how I can make it go by faster will tell me.

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A social story for going back to school: “My First Day of School”

What will the first day of school be like? This social story about letting go of summer, what will happen on the first day of school, and how I can make new friends there will tell me.

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A new social story book for kids about how to research: “A Story Shows Me How to Be a Hero”

How do I get a new thing I want? This social story about learning how to get new things and becoming a Hero for others from listening to stories will tell me.

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A.I. hears music in your head, businesses use music to affect tasting experience, and the brain processes sight and sound the same

“Music menus: Restaurants that are putting more emphasis on their soundtracks—aiming to create the right mood rather than just muffling the conversations of diners and other background noise—include renowned Los Angeles restaurant Vespertine, where a series of seven tracks is heard before, during and after the multicourse meal.

“Music, for sure, is arguably the most important part of my creative process,” says chef Jordan Kahn.

Music is hard to miss at Vespertine, where the $250 tasting menu is currently 19 courses. Kahn says he aims “to use sound to enhance and augment the dining experience, not to distract the guest.””

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