Open Minds Learning

08/20/2026

Exposure therapy is the gold standard not only for mental health treatment. We’ve gotta help our kids and learn how to handle situations that are uncomfortable.

07/29/2026

Comment “VISUALS” and I’ll send you the link to Picture It.

Being the schedule is exhausting, the reminders, the “what’s next,” the ten prompts before you’re even out the door.

So let the wall do it instead. Across 23 studies, autistic kids who used visual schedules were more independent and needed far fewer prompts. Many process pictures more easily than spoken words that vanish the second they’re said. A picture stays put. The child checks the board, sees “get dressed,” and does it, at their own pace.

Picture It is our done-for-you visual support bundle, 1000+ ready-to-print cards and schedules for mornings, school, mealtimes, bedtime and more. No design, no laminating hunts, just print and go.

Comment “VISUALS” and I’ll send it over.

Source: Koyama & Wang, systematic review

07/14/2026

Free live session with two leading special education experts. Register now.

07/11/2026

This is so important…

I recently visited the LEGO exhibit in Charlotte and stumbled across a sculpture called The Scroller, and I really want to share the description with you:

“clearly thinking of nothing at all, this parody of Auguste Rodin’s famous sculpture The Thinker is endlessly scrolling. I (Sean Kenney) wanted to highlight how Rodin’s beautiful and timeless capture of deep introspection contrasts with today’s modern obsession with shallow and thoughtlessness.”

Modern obsession with thoughtlessness. Ouch.

Traditionally, etiquette has focused on table settings, correspondence, and introductions. While those skills still matter, when I look at the social landscape of 2026, one of the most important etiquette challenges is much different.

I’ve shared my thoughts today on The Mannerly Edit

Mannerly.Substack.com

Check it out then keep your eyes up today.

With gratitude,
Elizabeth Anne Russell

07/04/2026

Compliance training is harmful and has long lasting effects on people with autism and other neurodivergent needs.

I’ve lived a life of compliance.

Many autistic kids learn from a very young age that the point of it all is to please those around you- at any cost.

Many of us give away our comfort, our safety, our authenticity, our self-esteem, and our mental wellbeing. Some of us give away even more.

Teaching any child to disconnect from their internal body signals is, in my opinion, one of the most harmful things that compliance training can do. Because it leaves us without any internal alarm system. We learn to distrust our own intuition. Before too long, our internal voice that is there to keep us safe- goes quiet. And we have to rely on others deciding what IS and ISN’T ok for us.

And when someone, ANYONE, tells us that something is ok- even if it doesn’t FEEL ok for us- we take their word for it. We don’t question it any further.

We just do it. Because that’s what we have been trained to do.
It’s not about our comfort. It’s not about whether something feels right for us. It’s literally about pleasing everyone else.

That is the outcome of compliance training.

And yes, having a kid who does whatever you tell them might make life easier. Especially when they just do the things quickly without question.

Consider. What other things might they be asked to do in this world? As a kid, as a teen, and as an adult?

It is important that they question things.
It’s so important that they critically analyse the situation.
And it’s so important that they tune into their body’s danger signals.

How else will they keep themselves safe?

Em

06/29/2026

Excellent Visual

This image is loaded with information....Definitely not exhaustive…remember that each person is an individual and this won’t be accurate for 100% of people.

06/17/2026

A great way to approach a conversation regarding AI with our students. AI is a tool that can be used in ways that are in alignment with school guidelines whether that’s high school or college, it can be used to help find relevant research, perhaps to think about topics you might want to add to a presentation… But it can never substitute for your voice… Do not give away your voice to a machine. I think this argument could be an excellent way to convince kids to not use AI for their writing.

06/15/2026

Interception needs to be better understood.

A BITESIZE GUIDE TO INTEROCEPTION - FREE DOWNLOAD

Interoception is one of those hidden foundations that can affect almost everything — emotions, behaviour, sensory processing, anxiety, eating, toileting, sleep, and even social interaction. When a child struggles to accurately read the signals from inside their body, the world can feel confusing, unpredictable, and overwhelming. What looks like “overreacting”, “ignoring needs”, or “poor behaviour” is often a child trying to navigate a body that doesn’t always give clear information.

Some children may not notice hunger until they are suddenly distressed. Others may struggle to recognise thirst, tiredness, temperature, pain, or the early signs of emotional overwhelm. This can lead to emotional dysregulation, impulsive behaviour, shutdowns, sensory overwhelm, or anxiety that seems to appear “out of nowhere”. Often, the body notices the stress before the child understands what is happening.

Interoceptive differences can also affect self-awareness and relationships. If a child struggles to identify their own internal states, it can be harder to communicate needs, understand emotions, or interpret what others may be feeling too. This is why support needs to focus on connection, co-regulation, body awareness, and gentle teaching — not punishment or shame.

Children with interoception difficulties are not being difficult. They are often trying to make sense of signals that feel unclear, delayed, too intense, or completely missed. Understanding this can completely change how we respond.

See the visual for download instructions.

06/13/2026

So simple and yet I see so many classrooms without this !!

18 studies. One simple tool. The same result every single time.

A systematic review found that visual activity schedules reduced challenging behavior in autistic children across every trial reviewed. Not most of them. Every one.

The evidence is settled. The hard part is building the visuals yourself. So we did it for you. Picture It is our printable visual communication guide. 200+ pages of ready-to-print schedules, choice boards, First and Then cards and more. Print today, use today.

Comment ‘VISUALS’ and we’ll send it straight to your DMs. 💙

📚 Source: Lequia, Machalicek & Rispoli (2012). Effects of activity schedules on challenging behavior exhibited in children with autism.