Though I have worked with two children with traumatic brain injury (myself included), a practice I feel has not been developed nor matched to provide sustainable amounts of correction in a child’s capabilities. Although many may attempt to rebuild knowledge and academic skills, the struggle relies heavily on the environment. Consistency is an important social-emotional skill to implement within the classroom, more of, consistency should  not be expected to be blended with regulatory or repetition activities or actions with the attention to academic development or community support, [ anything too boring is mean]. Working with children with moderate disabilities, I find that some have felt disabled within their disorder due to lack of engagement and realistic classroom expectations, and social engagements. 

Medication- is a highly thoughtful and motivating experience. Although, it may also be deemed as inappropriate, impractical, distinguishing, and humiliating– to some families (speaking only on the ideas of cultural Relevance). Maintaining a psychological stimuli enriched space, while also adhering to classroom safety is challenging; however, some strong supports I’ve seen are additional seating, headphones, rugs, and fidgets, pencils, pen, paper, and marker ! all strategies that assist the special education teacher and teaching assistance(s), to implement rigorous and intense curriculum geared towards adaptive learning environments – (classroom subjects that are really deep, really emotional, and sometimes way too hard to grasp on the first try)-- Who needs an imagery of an apple in the third grade? We do I guess…. (Why not)-- may I add the addition of a classroom fridge (mini -of course).

In the video lecture, visual schedules were mentioned as a helpful support for students with traumatic brain injuries (TBI). This makes a lot of sense, since students with TBI often experience challenges with memory, organization, and attention. A visual schedule gives them something concrete to refer back to, which helps them remember what’s next, manage transitions, and feel more in control throughout the day. Having that predictable structure can also reduce frustration and anxiety, allowing them to focus more on learning and emotional regulation.

What stood out to me, though, is how I’ve seen visual schedules be just as beneficial for all students. In my ABA classroom, every student. regardless of ability, relied on the schedule to understand the flow of the day. It created calm, consistency, and independence across the group. It really showed me how supports originally designed for specific needs can end up improving the learning environment for everyone. It also had me thinking about UDL as a whole and how it serves to make the classroom a more inclusive place overall. The unexpected benefits of integrating a support for all students makes it worth the hassle.

For example, one way I try to reduce sensory overload in class is by having a corner station facing away which has noise-blocker headphones. This provides a quiet space for a student during independent work times. Movement and brain breaks are other ones I like to build into the lessons. I have found that the most seamless way to incorporate movement breaks into a lesson is by utilizing “stations.” I like to set things up so students have to get up and walk across the room either to a different table, or perhaps a white board or poster board to work on. These can be mundane work-time activities such as filling out a note catcher or graphic organizer, but simply making the students do it somewhere other than their seat breaks up the monotony and makes them move. I am a big fan of “jigsawing” activities which then allows me to set up unique stations that the students can then rotate through. I see “breaks” not as periods of doing nothing, but periods of doing something different.  

Also we can help students to seat the student in an area with fewer distractions where they can focus on the lesson. For example, near the teacher, away from windows and the door, or in another area with few distractions. Seat them next to a role model who won't distract them and will help them focus.

Another helpful approach is breaking long assignments into smaller chunks. This allows students to see both the beginning and end of the assignment and offers breaks.

Drawing from the emphasis on not mistaking changes in executive functioning for laziness, especially amid ongoing mental health challenges and pandemic-related learning losses, I suggest integrating adaptive weekly SEL check-ins with interactive visual trackers. These could evolve from the proposed inclusive worksheets into a digital or low-tech "Wellness Dashboard" app or board, where students anonymously log their emotional states using emojis, color-coded sliders (e.g., green for "focused and motivated," red for "overwhelmed"), and short prompts like "What helped you stay on track today?" or "How did transitions feel this week?" This builds on the idea of prompting communication, but adds a new layer: data aggregation for teachers to spot class-wide trends (e.g., anxiety spikes before tests) without invasive probing. For students with TBI or ADHD, this indirectly supports memory and organization by normalizing routine reflection, reducing the stigma around "deviations from normal." In marginalized communities, where economic instability can exacerbate dysregulation, consider incorporating community-sourced elements, such as free printable resources or partnerships with local food banks, to provide nutritional tips. This reinforces that the focus begins with basic needs, such as balanced meals, for optimal brain health.

Extending the preference for Tier 1 UDL supports that benefit undiagnosed students (as referenced in the Jake Brackstone TED Talk), visual schedules can be reimagined as dynamic, co-created routine maps. Instead of static charts, consider creating interactive flip-books or digital slides where students contribute icons or stickers representing their day. These colorful and engaging elements can grab attention, making them ideal for visual reminders. This addresses TBI challenges with memory and transitions by providing concrete predictability. At the same time, for ADHD, it targets motivation through ownership (e.g., checking off tasks for a sense of control and independence). For behavioral/psychiatric needs, where pharmacotherapy isn't always accessible, embed SEL elements like "feeling zones" on the map (e.g., "How do my words affect others here?") to promote emotional awareness and positive reinforcement. In my view, this enhances the ABA classroom example by making it participatory, helping all students build self-regulation without the need for pull-outs, and it's adaptable for home use to bridge school-family gaps.

Overall, this intervention prioritizes prevention over reaction: by combining SEL embedding, visual interactivity, and socio-economic sensitivity, we create environments where executive deficits are addressed with empathy and tools, rather than assumptions. It ensures every child, diagnosed or not, feels supported, reducing frustration and boosting engagement. I'd love to hear how others might adapt this for specific grade levels!

In my experience, something I have often enjoyed is making room for group based interventions to address some of the struggles that my students face. This is more of a tier-2/3 concept but frequently in my public school career we used buddy groups as an intervention. In these groups, I'd often have multiple of my students who have ADHD or SEL needs along with some strong peer buddies. We would talk openly and honestly about ADHD and elements of social-emotional help. Typically we'd focus on a specific skills within that (organization, interpersonal relationships) and do an activity that connects. Often we'd end with group discussions and the opportunity for my students to ask questions without judgement. I found that building community and students seeing that they aren't struggling alone can really impact one of the elements we've talked about in our course-intrinsic motivation. I think peer motivation can sometimes be stronger than adult provided motivation.

Groups also provided students with more ownership of their interventions because they can often guide the topics we want to cover. (If many students are struggling with executive functioning, organizing and completing work on time we could do that). Buddy groups also gave some of my students in special education more inclusive opportunities and build relationships with students in the general education setting. Overall this was just a vessel to be able to deliver many different intervention strategies, while helping my students feel more apart of something greater than themselves/building positive self confidence.

I also liked the idea of viewing supports as things we build with students, not for them. Instead of just handing them a tool or strategy, we can involve them in deciding what works and what doesn’t. It gives them ownership and builds their confidence in managing their own learning.

As a future teacher, I want to get better at seeing behavior through a lens of compassion and curiosity. No one benefits when we only look at the surface. When we take the time to understand the why behind what we see, we can respond in ways that actually help kids feel capable and understood.

In the classroom, I think it is really important to be explicit with directions, and to add scaffolding to support our students. Visuals can be really helpful, even for seemingly more straightforward tasks. One of my pervious students used to sit backwards on the rug, so I would show him images of how he should be facing when on the rug. Truly, in my experience, the more explicit the direction, the better. Students can slowly start to fade these scaffolds, but the extra bit of support can be a huge factor in their success.

In the slides/lecture both medication and visual schedules were mentions, both things used in my classroom. However, I believe that many people may think that medication can be a cure but in actuality it needs to be coupled with different strategies and interventions. My students need their medication but I also have to be aware of the side effects and how they can cause different symptoms. Taking into account extra sleepiness or possible discomfort, etc. is key for student success. Regarding the visual schedules, I find these to be a vital piece of our routine, used daily. With my students I know that the visual schedule has to actually be interactive and hands on. So, I do not just use one big schedule on the board or one made for the students, in the morning each student has their own binder that has velcro images of each activity. Then they place their schedule in order and have access to the binder all day. I have found that for behavioral students, this gives a sense of independence and choice in their day. Additionally, I had to modify this even because I know that one of my students gets upset when symbols are used because he can read and write. He knows he has outgrown the use of symbols. SO for his binder he has a blank schedule where he is able to actually use a pen to write what his day looks like. These little changes help with all of my students so much. It is so important that we remember that all our classroom tools are modified and tailored to our actual students!