In-Service Workshops

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) continues to broaden, with many autistic individuals having no cognitive and/or language impairments that confound their social disability. Therefore, many of these individuals receive educational programming within mainstream or inclusive settings. Yet despite their cognitive and language prowess, many students with ASD struggle with social communication and interaction. They often experience co-occurring challenges, including impairments in executive functioning and adaptive behavior skills, as well as social-emotional struggles that merit direct intervention in schools. This webinar will provide an overview of the more subtle but complex presentations ASD, including females, and will present evidence-based strategies for fostering all areas of vulnerability within the school system. Concepts of masking and camouflaging behaviors, as well the misnomer of the widely misinterpreted description “high functioning autism” will be discussed.

This interactive workshop focuses on building awareness and fostering a positive culture through human care and support behaviors. Participants will explore the science behind caring interactions, identify behaviors that derail relationships, and learn practical strategies to strengthen connections. Working collaboratively, teams will gain fresh ideas for transforming culture and as well as inspiring and encouraging them to discuss and open up with stories of their own.

This presentation helps students understand the value of respect—for themselves, others, and their environment. Through real-life examples, role-playing scenarios, and group discussions, students will explore what respect looks like in action and why it's essential for creating a safe, inclusive, and positive school community. Topics include respecting differences, active listening, digital respect, handling conflict with maturity, and the impact of respectful behavior on relationships and learning. Students will leave with practical strategies to demonstrate respect in everyday situations and contribute to a culture of kindness and responsibility.

Acknowledging someone’s experience is more important than we might think. Having one person to turn to that will believe and support them is the greatest indicator of healing. Educational professionals may be the person that their students look towards for support. In this session we will discuss the difference between responding and reacting and build confidence in our responses to disclosures. We will also talk about the many ways to develop a trauma sensitive classroom to help support students who have experienced trauma.

This workshop will address the social-emotional needs in the classroom, as well as a deeper look at what ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences are and how that stress can become toxic and its impact on learning. We will also explore some classroom techniques that can be used daily to help children with stress and trauma.

Effective Communication, expressing our needs, and understanding our emotions are vital skills to learn in life, yet not something taught extensively in everyday education. When communication breaks down and intense emotions are present, having the skills to self-regulate, to identify feelings, and engaging in collaboratively problem-solving is at the heart of restorative communication.

Our emotions are wonderful guideposts about needs being met or not met. Adults benefit from learning these essential communication skills and modeling empathy for young people to observe and learn from.

Howard Moody has extensive training in Non-violent communication, Conscious Communication and Emotional Responsibility. This workshop will be an overview of these helpful communication modalities and will use the PAIR UP model developed by Annie O’Shaughnessy from the Starling Collaborative, a restorative practices training organization, as our guidepost.

As always with Howard's work, this will be fun and engaging.

Traditional school discipline does not always help students take responsibility and be accountable for their behaviors or to realize how those behaviors reverberate through the school community. Restorative Justice helps to change behavior by allowing the victim to be heard and acknowledging that a harm has been done. This workshop will give participants the tools necessary to expand disciplinary alternatives. This presentation is only available to school staff and administrators.

Helping schools discuss, heal, and move forward after a harmful incident on campus.

This presentation will help students understand the foundations of safe and healthy relationships—whether with friends, dating partners, or peers. Students will explore key elements like communication, trust, respect, and boundaries while learning how to identify red flags such as manipulation, jealousy, or control. Through real-life scenarios, interactive discussions, and practical tools, students will gain the skills needed to build positive relationships and seek help if needed. The goal is to empower youth to make safe, respectful, and informed choices in all types of relationships.

In this workshop, we will look and vicarious trauma and self-care. Vicarious trauma is “ a normal response to the ongoing exposure to other people's trauma.” Working to support people who have experienced trauma, and hearing, seeing and learning about their experiences, can have a cumulative effect on you and many aspects of your personal life. Self-care is important for people who have experienced vicarious trauma because it can help them cope with the emotional toll of being exposed to other people's trauma: Self-care includes meditation, mindfulness, breathwork, exercise such as yoga, journaling, massage, and practicing progressive muscle relaxation, as well as creating a work-life balance and learning to delegate.