Q&A Series: 3. Bringing theoretical knowledge of neurodiversity to authentic practice without harm

How can teachers support emotional regulation and attention in their neurodivergent students?

Photo by Austrian National Library on Unsplash

Preface

Teachers in one elementary school had already been given a strong foundation in the biology of emotional dysregulation and inattentiveness through occupational therapy consultations. in the rush of everyday teaching, that knowledge often stayed in theory rather than shaping the moment-to-moment experiences of their neurodivergent students.

During a state assessment for a pilot project, a doctoral student in pediatric mental health saw this gap firsthand and recognized it as both a challenge and an opportunity.

Their goal was to bring theoretical knowledge of neurodiversity into authentic practice without harm.

By designing a practical, evidence-based toolkit, fostering genuine collaboration between disciplines, and opening dialogue with parents through an expert panel, she is working to ensure that understanding the brain translates into supporting the child every single day.

The gap between knowing and doing

Occupational therapists and teachers who receive such training sessions often receive high quality professional development as to how they can support emotional regulation and attention in their neurodivergent students. However, many teachers either struggle or just do not know that their theoretical knowledge does not translate in real-life. In fact, may be even harmful.

This is not a reflection of teacher commitment. It is a common phenomenon in educational and healthcare settings called the knowledge-to-practice gap. Research in adult learning shows that lectures alone, even when engaging, rarely translate into sustained changes in practice without ongoing support and reinforcement.[i]

For neurodivergent students, this gap can have profound effects. Emotional dysregulation and inattentiveness often linked to sensory processing differences, executive function challenges, or co-occurring conditions require both understanding and responsive strategies that can be embedded seamlessly into the classroom routine.

Principles and strategies for translating neurodiversity knowledge into authentic practice without causing harm

Recognize self-regulation versus dysregulation

Not all movement, stillness, or inattention signals a problem. Self-regulation is a behavior that helps the student manage their state and participate (e.g., bouncing a leg while working). Dysregulation is state that makes learning or safety difficult (e.g., tearfulness, escalating frustration, physical aggression). Teachers should pause before intervening and ask themselves, “Is this helping or hurting the student right now?”

Safety and autonomy

Teachers must feel confident that their interventions won’t inadvertently escalate distress. A harm-aware approach means avoiding punitive responses to behaviors that are rooted in regulation challenges and instead focusing on co-regulation and predictability. Interventions should never override a student’s safe self-regulation strategy. If a student is pacing, fidgeting, doodling, or using another self-calming behavior that is safe and not highly disruptive, let it continue. Avoid public correction. Intervene only if the behavior risks harm to the student or others.

Micro-interventions

Strategies that take <2 minutes and do not interrupt the flow of teaching are far more likely to be used daily - quick and minimally disruptive. This could be sensory “reset” movements, visual prompts, or short co-regulation moments as choices rather than instructions. Pre-teach these options so students know they can accept or decline without consequence.

Scenario-based learning for teachers

Embed role-play or video analysis into teacher development. This will help bridge theory with real classroom situations. This may allow teachers to see how regulation theory translates into real-time decision-making.

Normalize tools and supports for everyone, not just the neurodivergent student

Specialized supports should be available to the whole class to reduce stigma. This can be visual schedules, choice boards, fidgets, and regulation spaces should be introduced as class-wide resources, not “accommodations” for a single student. This promotes true inclusivity and prevents singling out the neurodivergent person.

Build predictability while allowing flexibility

Predictable routines reduce stress for many neurodivergent students. Considering that change is inevitable, when routines shift, provide both verbal and visual updates. Acknowledging that change can be hard and allowing time for adjustment may reduce stress on the neurodivergent student.

Use reflection loops to adapt the environment, not to fix the student

Weekly collaboration with occupational therapists, mental health professionals, and fellow teachers should focus on adapting the learning environment, not “fixing” the student. Encouraging the teacher to use a strengths-based lens and document what’s working, along with the challenges faced to strategize later about adapting the environment. Encourage data collection to help identify patterns and refine support, and not as a strategy to measure compliance. Here the teacher can use simple frequency counts with context notes and student input. When/ if appropriate, reviewing with student can make the student a co-partner in their own regulation plan.

Engage parents as partners and co-creators

Use of parent expert panels could be a powerful opportunity to extend support beyond the school walls. Parents who understand the same regulation strategies being used at school can reinforce them at home, creating a consistent environment for the child. To be effective, this panel could include both professional expertise and lived experience voices, use of plain language and relatable metaphors for complex neuroscience (reduce mental load for parents) and providing take-home resources that mirrors school-based strategies.

Detailed practical steps

Step 1: Run the 3-question self-regulation check before intervening

When you notice movement, stillness, or inattentiveness, silently ask yourself:

1. Is the student safe?

2. Is the class meaningfully disrupted?

3. Is the student able to engage or learn while doing this?

If YES to all three → This is likely self-regulation. Protect it.

If NO to any → This may be dysregulation. Offer consent-based support.

Step 2: Responding to self-regulation

Goal is to protect, normalize, and quietly support without interruption.

What to do:

1. Let it continue if it’s safe and functional (leg bouncing, doodling, pacing quietly).

2. Normalize for peers if they comment: “Everyone focuses differently. This works for them.”

3. Optional enhancements: “Want headphones or keep going like this?”

4. Record what works in the student’s support notes for future planning.

5. Only adjust if it’s unsafe or repeatedly blocking others’ learning.

Step 3: Responding to dysregulation

Goal is to reduce stress, maintain dignity, and restore regulation with consent.

What to do:

1. Reduce demands immediately: “Pause for now. You can listen only,” or “Do 3 problems instead of all 10.”

2. Offer low-stim supports (always as a choice):

   a. Headphones

   b. Short hallway walk

   c. Water break

   d. Quiet “recharge” space

3. Co-regulate using slow speech, neutral tone, match and then lower your volume, model slow breathing.

4. Protect their dignity with no public correction, no “calm down” orders. This should be private if necessary.

5. Re-entry: “Want to start where you left off or try an alternative?”

6. Aftercare: Lower demands for 30–60 minutes. Regulation takes a lot of energy. The student is likely t be drained. If possible, let them sleep.

Step 4: Use a menu of micro-interventions (<2 minutes)

Pre-teach these so students can choose freely:

1. Sensory reset (these are mine. ask their preference)

   a. Wall push-ups (10–20)

   b. Chair push-backs

   c. Standing stretch at desk

2. Focus re-anchor

   a. Visual cue card

   b. “First step only” instruction

   c. 5-minute focus timer

3. Co-regulation prompt

   a. Square breathing together (4–4–4–4)

   b. Quiet walk with trusted adult

Always offer choices to the dysregulated child (and adult) “Want to try the breathing card, get some water, or keep going as you are?”

Step 5: Normalize tools and supports for all students

1. Make fidgets, doodle pads, headphones, and visual schedules available to everyone, not just ND students.

2. Model use yourself to remove stigma.

3. Introduce tools at the start of term as part of classroom culture, not as “special help.”

Step 6: Build predictability with room for flexibility

1. Keep a daily visual schedule updated and visible.

2. Give 2–5 minute transition warnings (verbal + visual).

3. When plans change, acknowledge impact: “Our schedule’s different today. It is okay to feel unsettled. Here’s what’s next.”

Step 7: Weekly reflection loops

Meet briefly (10 minutes) with occupational therapists, mental health staff, or peer teachers with a focus on adapting the environment, not changing the student:

1. One strategy that worked for this student

2. One challenge

3. One small thing to try next week

Step 8: Partner with parents

1. Ask what works at home before suggesting school strategies.

2. Share one simple, home-friendly strategy in plain language each month.

3. Match language and visuals between home and school. Maybe ask parents what they do and use the same at school.

Step 9: Document to understand, not to control

Record:

1. What helped: “Standing during read-aloud kept focus.”

2. What didn’t: “Forced group work increased stress.”

3. Student’s voice: “Headphones help me finish writing.”

Then use the notes to co-create a “Preferred Supports” sheet with the student when possible.

Step 10: Safety boundaries

1. It is best not to turn regulation spaces into punishment.

2. Forcing eye contact or touching should be avoided. Ask before touching.

   · Restraint/seclusion only in imminent danger, per district policy. Engage parents.

3. If peers complain, teach the fairness principle: “Fair means everyone gets what they need.”

Conclusion

Bringing neurodiversity knowledge into authentic practice without harm is less about giving teachers more information and more about equipping them with tools, confidence, and a support network to act on what they already know. It is a process of translation and tailoring where they turn the science of the brain into the art of teaching in a way that honors the dignity, safety, and individuality of every child.

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[i] Merriam, S. B., & Bierema, L. L. (2014). Adult learning: Linking theory and practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.