American Schools? What are We Going to o Now?

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Dear American Schools

To align with current neurodevelopmental and educational research, schools must shift from a reactive “behavior management” model to a proactive “accessible environment” model. Research shows that implementing these strategies universally (Universal Design for Learning) dramatically reduces the need for expensive crisis interventions, 1-on-1 aides, legal disputes, and specialized out-of-district placements, ultimately saving schools significant money on the back end.

Here are 14 evidence-based, proactive shifts most schools are not doing, but should be:

Environmental & Sensory Adaptations

Replacing fluorescent lighting: Fluorescent bulbs emit a sub-visual flicker and buzz that induces sensory overload, headaches, and anxiety in autistic and ADHD students. Switching to LED or filtered, natural lighting prevents sensory-driven meltdowns before they start.
Providing dynamic, movement-friendly seating: Traditional static desks force children to expend cognitive energy just to sit still. Research shows that wobble stools, standing desks, and under-desk resistance bands allow children with ADHD to regulate their nervous systems through micro-movements, vastly improving focus.
Creating proactive “regulation stations” in every room: Most schools send dysregulated students to the office or a containment room after a behavioral incident. Instead, rooms should feature quiet, low-stimulus corners equipped with sensory tools where students can self-refer to de-escalate before a breakdown occurs.

Schedule & Transition Redesigns

Replacing passive detention with proactive movement breaks: Forcing a child with ADHD or ODD to sit silently as punishment worsens their neurological deficit. Research indicates that structured, heavy-work movement breaks (carrying books, doing wall pushes) satisfy proprioceptive needs and lower cortisol.
Providing explicit, visual transition scripts: Moving between classes or subjects is a major trigger for executive dysfunction. Schools should use visual schedules, countdown timers, and predictable routines rather than verbal commands to help students navigate change autonomously.
Protecting and expanding unstructured outdoor play: Recess is frequently stripped from dysregulated students as punishment. Neuroscience confirms that sensory integration and unstructured socialization outdoors are crucial for emotional regulation; denying it actively causes afternoon behavioral crises.

Communication & Relational Approaches

Adopting “Collaborative & Proactive Solutions” (CPS): Traditional discipline assumes students lack the will to behave. The research-backed CPS model (pioneered by Dr. Ross Greene) proves that “kids do well if they can.” Shifting to collaborative problem-solving treats behavioral challenges as lagging cognitive skills, not non-compliance.
Eliminating public behavior charts and classwide token economies: Clip-up/clip-down charts and public reward systems trigger the fight-or-flight response in children with trauma, ODD, or ADHD. They induce public shame, which breeds defiance and erodes the teacher-student trust required for compliance.
Replacing declarative commands with low-demand framing: Direct commands (“Sit down and open your book now”) frequently trigger situational mutism or pathological demand avoidance (PDA) in neurodivergent children. Using declarative language (“I notice the book is closed”) reduces perceived threats and invites cooperation.

Instructional & Structural Shifts

Ditching traditional homework for elementary students: Decades of research show homework offers zero academic benefit in early childhood but acts as a massive source of nightly trauma and executive exhaustion for neurodivergent families, leading to school refusal the next morning. Maybe instead homework can include helping your family with a chore or doing an off-screen activity.
Implementing flexible, student-led assessment options: Forcing an autistic student or a child with ADHD to express knowledge exclusively through a timed, written test sets them up for failure due to dysgraphia or working memory deficits. Allowing verbal, digital, or project-based demonstrations reveals true capability.
Structuring predictable, low-demand entry routines: The first 20 minutes of the school day dictate a child’s nervous system regulation. Replacing rigid early morning paperwork with soft starts (drawing, listening to music, checking in with a mentor) keeps vulnerable children below their explosive threshold.

Systemic & Staff Support

Redefining restraint and seclusion procedures: Research confirms that physical restraint and isolation rooms severely traumatize children, escalate aggressive behaviors, and result in costly staff injuries and lawsuits. A universal ban outlaws physical holds as behavioral management tools, punishments, or responses to non-compliance and property damage. It does not penalize staff for stepping in during true, life-and-death emergencies (like pulling a child from the path of a vehicle or breaking up a dangerous fight). Instead, schools replace holds with room-evacuation protocols, maximum physical distance, and non-contact protective blocking tools (like lightweight foam shields). This advanced de-escalation keeps everyone safer and dramatically reduces workers’ compensation claims.
Providing comprehensive training on the “Double Empathy Problem”: Many social skill programs try to force autistic children to mask their traits and mimic neurotypical communication. Research shows communication breakdowns are a two-way street; schools must train neurotypical staff and peers to understand neurodivergent communication styles, reducing social friction.

Rachel Wise

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Rachel Wise is the author and founder of Education and Behavior. Rachel created Education and Behavior in 2014 for adults to have an easy way to access research-based information to support children in the areas of learning, behavior, and social-emotional development. As a survivor of abuse, neglect, and bullying, Rachel slipped through the cracks of her school and community. Education and Behavior hopes to play a role in preventing that from happening to other children. Rachel is also the author of Building Confidence and Improving Behavior in Children: A Guide for Parents and Teachers.

"Children do best when there is consistency within and across settings (i.e., home, school, community). Education and Behavior allows us to maintain that consistency."