Isabelle Finn-Kelcey

Behaviorism Behaviorism is a dehumanizing mechanism of learning that reduces human beings to simple inputs and outputs. There is an ever-growing body of research suggesting that behaviorism is not only harmful to...

stimpunks.org/glossary/beh...

It’s an interesting idea, but I think lots of us are consciously anti-behaviourist in our practice - esp re autism/double empathy etc. Knowledge/understanding & performance are related, sure. But one can exist without the other.

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In other words, adapt teaching to individual children & contexts, so all can participate?

researchfeatures.com/wp-content/u...

I see it the other way round. Individual schools & staff do an incredible job but systemically our English system is generating massive problems. I’m thinking esp of the enormous number of children who are having to drop out of school due to eg school distress due to unmet needs.

Obvs the environmental affordances are really important here.

How do you conceptualise the knowledge of the children who don’t/can’t build the cardboard hearts and those who don’t/can’t explain how it works? I’m thinking esp of autistic children, who might have a vg understanding of a subj but really can’t perform that understanding in class on demand

So much depends on your school/setting. It’s a hard job. It’s helpful when you can trust your managers’ motivations & values.

It’s altogether too glib imv. The massive reach of GCSE data & procedures into the lives & experiences of children, families, school staff etc gives these decision-makers enormous power. It would be good to see some curiosity & care. We obvs need a range of qualifications & assessment modalities.

I really recommend Empire of Normality by @drrobertchapman.bsky.social, esp in view of the current UK ed crisis which is having an oppressive impact on children & families from the #SEND side of the tracks www.plutobooks.com/978074534866...

This ‘MESI’ measure of EB has the potential to improve school staff understanding of the disproportionately negative impacts of #schoolattendance on Autistic/ADHD/AuDHD child/teen mental health.

Outstanding new research. An expert team has co-produced a simple way of measuring the emotional burden (EB) on YP who attend school. Autistic, ADHD & AuDHD YP consistently carry a greater EB than their neurotypical peers, thanks to exposure to ‘normal’ school events, eg being told off by staff.

More fantastic resources 🌟

Fantastic!!

Thanks for sharing - this is excellent!

NEW PUBLICATION
The concept of emotion regulation as measured by the MESI could have implications for preventative interventions that aim to promote the wellbeing of autistic young people and those with ADHD and cut down risk of depression!
Fully coproduced codelivered with young ND researchers

our ed system as a whole has not been able to nimbly assimilate these major insights, and that, instead, ‘catching up’ on ‘lost’ learning was prioritised after lockdowns. Unsatisfactory for many?

I v much agree re shift in perspective. The school attendance/lockdown/school attendance/lockdown journey we all went on (staff, children, caregivers) has afforded huge learning opportunities re what works/doesn’t work for ind children. My own perspective is that - understandably, perhaps -

Absolutely. Same for having to ask permission to go to the toilet etc. Adults would not accept this in a workplace.

Fantastic!

Fabulous research by Wassell (2025) about the importance of Autistic Joy & monotropism!
"Autistic voices suggest that the key barrier to
joyful experience is not autism itself but other
people's lack of acceptance of authentic
autistic behaviours such as stimming and
pursuit of special interests."

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

This Australian study re autistic children is v interesting journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

I think that, for many, a feeling of safety at school did not materialise after Covid lockdowns. Staff absence, disruption, fear of Covid etc were possibly not dealt with meaningfully? By contrast, some children had also realised they felt safer at home - in general and re learning?

New report on understanding the drivers of declining youth mental health

To effectively respond to worsening mental health, we need to understand not just what is happening, but *why*

We used an evidence-based approach to unpack common explanations

1/🧵

youthfuturesfoundation.org/publication/...

That’s v interesting. It seems that since Covid families have become more confident at recognising when school isn’t working well?

Were changes to schools’ curricula & behaviour policies (eg post-Gove) considered? Many families find MH difficulties in children/teens begin or become worse in the context of school - eg they notice that mood etc improves/improved during school hols, covid lockdowns etc.

I dislike the pic the TES uses here. In the context of considering which categories of children require ‘special’ ed, it’s possible to view the pic and conclude that the majority-colour cars could all be accommodated in the car park if the minority-colour cars were accommodated somewhere else.

*As our mainstream school system continues to create ballooning numbers of children with so-called ‘SEND’, is there capacity …

@spcialndsjungle.bsky.social
My new book about autistic burnout can help young people understand what it really means to be autistic and also what burnout is, why it happens and what helps recovery.

You can get it here uk.jkp.com/products/the...

www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Person...