2026 TASH Conference

In recent years, research has emerged in support of structured literacy, which involves systemic, explicit, and cumulative instruction in the components of reading. While some children will learn to read proficiently with mere exposure to literature, many children need direct instruction that breaks down the steps in reading in order to become proficient in literacy. While structured literacy programs are expanding access to literacy in many classrooms, some barriers remain. Literacy curricula, most of which is designed with typically developing students or students with learning disabilities in mind, remains inaccessible for many students with additional needs. Too often, educators wrongly assume that students with more significant disabilities are incapable of literacy. This assumption becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as these students are denied access to quality reading instruction and adapted literacy resources. However, given the right set of tools and creative instruction, many students defy these low expectations and show that they are capable of literacy (Erickson & Koppenhaver, 2020). Visual Phonics is a strategy that can be used to support all students who are struggling with early literacy skills. In this system, each phoneme is paired with a unique hand gesture, providing an additional way for students to distinguish phonemes and connect phonemes to graphemes. The system was originally designed for Deaf students, allowing them to match graphemes with gestures representing spoken sounds. However, Visual Phonics can also support hearing students as they learn to read. The gestures add an additional kinesthetic element to help solidify the connections between letters and sounds, while providing a way for students with communication needs to participate nonverbally during literacy instruction. Because Visual Phonics is applicable for so many students, it can be used either as an intervention for struggling readers or added to the general education phonics curriculum to make instruction more effective and accessible for a wider range of students. Visual Phonics can support a wide range of students, including those with limited hearing, nonspeaking students who use AAC, and students with other extensive support needs, making it a way to broaden access to high-quality literacy instruction in inclusive classrooms. 

Research increasingly demonstrates that schools, particularly secondary settings, engage in hyper-surveillance of neurodivergent students, often interpreting disability-related behaviors as defiance, disruption, or criminal misconduct (Hines et al., 2018; Kim et al., 2021; Losen et al., 2015; Yell et al., 2022). This surveillance disproportionately affects neurodivergent students (Haight et al., 2016, Losen et al., 2015, Milner et al., 2025). Prior work has documented how behaviors intrinsic to neurodivergence—such as differences in communication, emotional regulation, sensory processing, and attention—are frequently framed as behavioral violations rather than access needs. Black girls are underdiagnosed or diagnosed later than their male counterparts, increasing their vulnerability to punitive responses rather than supportive interventions (Annamma et al., 2023; Harvey et al., 2024Lovelace et al., 2021). This under identification is exacerbated in schools with limited resources, heightened security measures, and insufficient preparation in disability-responsive practices (Miller, 2023.This presentation examines how misinterpretations of disability-related behavior contribute to the criminalization of neurodivergent girls within educational systems and proposes actionable steps for embedding culturally responsive practices within teacher preparation for both special and general educators. Specifically, this presentation examines (a) the underdiagnosis and masking of neurodivergence in girls, (b) teacher preparation and educators’ reported readiness to support neurodivergent girls in general and special education settings, and (c) empirical evidence of disciplinary and criminalization disparities across lines of socioeconomic status, geography, and ethnicity. Findings reveal consistent patterns of heightened monitoring, behavioral misinterpretation, and reliance on exclusionary or punitive responses, with notable differences between rural and urban contexts. In response to those findings, this presentation also uses existing culturally responsive frameworks to propose actionable steps and key features within teacher preparation programs to combat the hyper-surveillance and, at times, criminalization of Black neurodivergent female students (Jenkins et al., 2022; Miller, 2023; Muhammad, 2023; Siwatu, 2007). Additional implications are included regarding policy and systems change as well as identifying directions for future research emphasizing the urgent need for disability-informed, gender-responsive approaches that disrupt pathways to criminalization and promote equitable educational experiences for neurodivergent girls (Jenkins, 2022; Wilson, 2013).

Direct support professionals, educators, and human service workers are frequently asked to offer regulation, patience, and presence within systems that are fast-paced, under-resourced, and emotionally demanding. Over time, this can lead to burnout, withdrawal, or reactivity- not because practitioners lack commitment, but because their nervous systems are operating under chronic stress and perceived threat.This session introduces Polyvagal PLAY, an embodied, trauma-responsive approach designed to support the nervous systems of practitioners and families so they can remain present, engaged, and sustainable in their support roles. Grounded in polyvagal-informed practice and relational neuroscience, Polyvagal PLAY reframes burnout as a nervous system response rather than a personal shortcoming, and offers practical ways to restore safety and capacity through relationship and PLAY.Participants will explore how their own nervous system states influence interactions with the people they support and with colleagues, particularly during moments of stress. Through brief, accessible experiential practices, attendees will learn how to Pause, Listen, Activate, and Yield in ways that support regulation before, during, and after challenging situations. These practices are designed to be woven into daily routines without adding burden or time pressure.Rather than focusing on behavior management or productivity, this session centers the practitioners or family members capacity as foundational to ethical, dignified, and effective support. By strengthening nervous system awareness and relational regulation, practitioners and families are better able to stay connected, reduce reactivity, and sustain their presence over time. This approach aligns with TASH’s commitment to inclusion, dignity, and justice by recognizing supporter well-being as essential to meaningful, relationship-centered disability support.