{"data":{"ID":1296,"Class":"Conversation","Created":1725475883,"CreatorID":79,"RevisionID":null,"Status":"Accepted","Title":"Nurturing Neurodivergence","Handle":"nurturing_neurodivergence","ShortDescription":"Many Neurodivergent people struggle to thrive in school, because too many schools perpetuate deficit mindsets about brains that work differently. What if we asked new questions that challenge fundamental assumptions and nurture Neurodivergent identities? Let's explore these new questions and what they mean for creating radically inclusive learning spaces.","Description":"Join us for a conversation about nurturing Neurodivergence. \r\n\r\nTo date, I have attended hundreds of child study, student support, 504, IEP, and gifted team meetings at public, private, parochial, and charter schools in five different states in the roles of student, teacher, parent, administrator, and advocate. Across miles, decades, and contexts, each one brought adults together to solve the problems that arise when the needs of the learner and the typical learning path are in tension. Inevitably, the mostly neurotypical adults (who don\u2019t know viscerally what it's like to live in an ableist world) ask: What goals and specialized instruction will help this child overcome challenges and meet expectations?\r\n\r\nWhat if we asked new questions that challenge fundamental assumptions and have the potential to nurture Neurodivergent identities? \r\n\r\nDo trusted educators know deeply this student\u2019s strengths, passions, and needs?\r\n\r\nDoes the student find flow in learning?\r\n\r\nDoes the student glow in an inclusive learning community through care and acceptance?\r\n\r\nDoes the student grow skills and knowledge that matter for a hopeful future?\r\n\r\nFeeling known and glowing with the sense of belonging that authentic care and unconditional acceptance bring, then finding flow and growing skills and knowledge to actualize one\u2019s unique talents is desirable for any student. For Neurodivergent students, however, it may be the only destination that protects their highly vulnerable self-concept against adverse mental health outcomes. When schools can answer \u201cYes!\u201d to the questions above, more stories of Neurodivergent learners will have happy endings.","Link":["http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/dani-shylit-23aa1063"],"Audience":["All School Levels"],"Practice":"This conversation will be structured as a Socratic Seminar, facilitated in a circle. Using the four questions in the extended description above as a springboard, participants will engaged in imagining, sharing, and teasing out ways their own learning environments might get to \"yes,\" then co-crafting new questions to replace ones founded in old assumptions to curate opportunities that truly re-imagine belonging for ND students in schools.","Presenter":["Dani Shylit"],"PresenterAffiliation":["String Theory School of Design","Arcadia University","Philadelphia Learning Collaborative"],"PresenterEmail":["dshylit@arcadia.edu"],"ScheduleSlotID":185,"ScheduleLocationID":34,"SubmitterID":79,"AdditionalComments":"I loved being a presenter at EduCon in 2019 and would be grateful for the opportunity to return.","LiveChannel":null,"Hashtag":null,"VokleID":null,"RecordingURL":null,"ConferenceID":12}}