Supportable Solutions

10/13/2026

Kids ages 7–12 in a Quebec day-treatment program told researchers what restraint and seclusion felt like.

"Painful."
"I HATE it."
Punishment.

Some were afraid of being hurt. Some said staff "abused their power," holding or secluding kids when no one was in danger. Some children said not knowing why these measures were used made them escalate.

The researchers saw it too. These measures weren't only used for safety. They were used to make kids comply and to "teach" behavior, which the researchers called ethically problematic.

Children have died in restraint.

So what did these kids say actually helped? A relationship with the adults. A chance to talk. A calm space.

Montreuil et al., 2018 (Int J Ment Health Nurs) and 2020 (Cult Med Psychiatry). Links in comments.

10/08/2026

Classroom office referrals, second semester:

2023–24: 244
2024–25: 109

Restraint and seclusion dropped 81% over the same period.

One school, after a behavior audit and a year of coaching focused on Tier 1 supports.

10/06/2026

What happens within us shapes what’s possible between us.

Our internal state influences how we listen, interpret, and respond to one another. Becoming aware of what’s happening within us creates more room for connection and collaboration.

10/01/2026

A report card can show good grades. It can’t show how much energy the school day takes.

A recent qualitative study of neurodivergent creators’ educational experiences highlighted the emotional and cognitive effort of navigating school even amid academic success (Baker, 2026). Accounts included sensory overwhelm, masking, and exhaustion.

Those experiences invite us to get curious about the effort we may not see.

💬 “What takes the most energy during your school day?”

Their answer can help us explore one change together and check back to see whether it helps. 💙

Baker, D. M. (2026). Listening bodies, cold calls, and the burden of existing: at school. Neurodiversity, 4, 1–15.

Read the open-access article:

Grounded in Neurodiversity Studies, this naturalistic study examined the P-20 educational experiences of neurodivergent TikTok users, positioning lived narrativ...

09/30/2026

When behavior is challenging, better questions lead to better support.

The Why Toolkit helps educators move beyond reacting to behavior to identifying what may be driving it.

Learn more here:
https://supportablesolutions.com/thewhytoolkit/

09/30/2026

Same temperature. Different bodies. Different needs.

At 60 degrees, I might need a jacket while my daughter is comfortable in flip-flops and a tank top. Our sensory experiences are different.

This graphic is an example of what we need to rethink: requiring every child to wear the same type of clothing based on temperature alone.

It also shows how deeply compliance culture is ingrained in our society. Rules like these can feel so ordinary that we enforce them without questioning whether they honor individual needs.

A neurodiversity affirming approach honors sensory differences and supports interoception - our ability to notice and interpret signals from inside our bodies, including feeling hot or cold.

We can offer layers, help children explore their body signals, and listen when they communicate discomfort. Some children need more support to figure out what their bodies need.

Weather conditions and protection from dangerous temperatures still matter. But everyday clothing choices shouldn’t become a compliance issue.

Simply beginning to question these familiar practices is a step in the right direction.

The thermometer tells us the temperature. It doesn’t tell us how every child feels.

09/29/2026

How a child perceives a learning task matters.

Something that looks manageable to an adult may feel impossibly hard to a child. They might feel nervous, frustrated, embarrassed, or scared and may not yet have a way to tell us.

When we help children name both the feeling and how hard the task seems, we have somewhere to start.

Sometimes naming it helps the feeling settle. Sometimes we learn what needs to change. And sometimes, with support, a child discovers they can do something they thought they couldn’t.

That’s valuable learning, too.

If you’d like to learn about the visual we use to help children name how learning feels, send us a message!

09/24/2026

I recently had a great day working with an autistic student who showed me, once again, the power of visual clarity.

He learned the routine quickly when he could see it. For many autistic learners, visual processing is a strength. When we build on that strength, the day becomes more understandable and predictable.

That predictability matters. Structure helps a child know what’s coming, and research shows a strong link between difficulty with uncertainty and anxiety in autistic young people. As a result, predictable routines can help children feel safe and when they feel safe, they have more room to connect, participate, and learn.

Jenkinson, R., Milne, E., & Thompson, A. (2020). The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety in autism: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Autism, 24(8), 1933–1944.

The association between intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety has proved robust in neurotypical populations and has led to effective interventions targeting in...

09/19/2026

But is The Why Toolkit® compliant with FBA requirements?

Minnesota Neurodivergent Education, Advocacy, and Therapy Services (MnNEAT) created a helpful guide showing how The Why Toolkit® aligns with Minnesota and IDEA requirements while remaining neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-sensitive, and focused on understanding the reasons behind behavior.

Learn more about The Why Toolkit®:
https://supportablesolutions.com/thewhytoolkit/

Minnesota educators and families can contact MnNEAT to request the guide:
https://www.mnneat.org/

MnNEAT Website that's a work in progress

05/22/2026

Just finished wrapping up another assessment using The Why Toolkit®.

The deeper we look, the more we realize behavior is rarely as simple as it appears on the surface. What we see outwardly is often connected to stress responses, overwhelm, communication differences, sensory differences, environmental factors, past experiences, and so much more.

The goal is never just to reduce behaviors.

The goal is understanding.

Because understanding changes how we respond.