BrainWise and Special Needs

Posted On: August 15, 2015

BrainWise Board Member Dan Himelspach, J.D., is co-founder of Dispute Management, Inc. When he learned that the Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR), in partnership with the JAMS Foundation, had announced a 2015 request for initial proposals, he encouraged BrainWise to submit one. ACL/JAMS asked for projects that “advance the development, implementation, and/or assessment of conflict resolutions education servicing special needs youth populations.” The 10 Wise Ways have been taught to this target population for years, and the skills help students manage inappropriate behavior, including conflict and bullying. The good news is that BrainWise was invited to submit a full proposal, due in October. Our project will request funds to pilot a blended learning approach with special needs teens. They will be taught BrainWise face-to-face, and will use educational software and a companion mobile phone app to reinforce the concepts. The problem examples will include specific conflict situations faced by deaf, blind and special needs students, as well as the typical problems everyone faces.

Please follow and like us:

Houston PAL Officers Teach BrainWise

BrainWise Builds Trusting Relationships. Sergeant Letricia Brown and her team of police officers faced a challenge. In 2019, they were asked to relaunch the Greater Houston Police Department’s Police Activities League (PAL) and build trusting relationships between youth, law enforcement, and the community. She said, “We did not have much direction. We had nothing.” That […]

BrainWise Bridges Technology

The previous BrainWise newsletter discussed research that showed the importance of human interaction and its benefits for improved mental health and longevity. Increasingly, youth and young adults are using chatbots to fulfill this role. But how can instructors integrate Machine Learning (ML) into teaching the 10 Wise Ways and what is the future use of […]

Reflections on Research and the Impact of BrainWise

Loneliness. “Join or Die” is the title of a new documentary about Dr. Robert Putnam’s extensive research on loneliness (https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=4oDVf8sOG9w.) The Harvard political scientist wrote Bowling Alone in 2000 and presented data showing the transformation of Americans from being social joiners to becoming isolated individuals. He warned of the negative consequences of this shift, […]