Helping Students Who Are Wired Differently Succeed in Inclusive Classrooms

About 1 million students served under the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act have been diagnosed with autism or other behavioral disorders. About 60 percent of these students spend the majority of their time in an inclusive classroom setting. Yet the Centers for Disease Control estimates that 1 in 5 students (upwards of 13 million) are, in fact, diagnosable for mental or behavioral challenges. Some parents choose not to reveal a diagnosis, while many students remain undiagnosed – which means that, even if not by design, every classroom in North America is inclusive by default.

Now in its seventh year, the Wired Differently Conference will offer a wide array of critical insights and best practices for reaching and teaching students with a variety of emotional and behavioral challenges – especially trauma, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), PTSD and related issues. Principals, other administrators, general ed teachers, special needs teachers, resource teachers and paraprofessionals attending the Wired Differently Conference will benefit from tools, recommendations and strategies for working with this often high-potential portion of the student population.