This Pre-Conference Academy will be held in the MADERA room.

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

10:00AM-4:30PM
$175 per person (includes lunch, all workshop materials, and Certificate of Completion)
PK, E, M, H, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Presenter: Niki Elliott, Ph.D., Director, Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity (CEEN), University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

The Heart-Centered Connections model supports teachers, community educators, and caregivers in creating trauma-informed, neuroinclusive learning environments. These environments, rooted in adult social-emotional wellness, promote emotional resilience and academic success for neurodiverse youth. By examining the connections between educational neuroscience, neurodiversity, trauma-informed teaching, and social-emotional learning, participants gain practical tools to engage effectively with youth. This holistic approach helps foster environments where all learners, especially those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, mental health diagnoses, or trauma, can thrive.

Strand: Program Design, Development & Quality; Staff Leadership

Learning Outcomes:

• Participants will gain an understanding of current neuroscience that explains the needs of neurodiverse youth.
• Participants will learn strategies for expanding their own nervous system capacity to serve neurodiverse youth.
• Participants will develop a plan for creating a neuroinclusive environment that considers the sensory needs of all children.

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Presenter

Niki Elliott, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Director, Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity (CEEN), University of San Diego, San Diego, CA

Niki Elliott, Ph.D., serves as director for CEEN, the Center for Embodied Equity and Neurodiversity at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Education Sciences. In this role, she leads the development of research projects and professional certificates for PK-12 educators, school counselors, and college faculty. Prior to this appointment, she served for 7 years as the founding director of the Center for Neurodiversity, Learning, and Wellness at the University of La Verne. Her mission is to galvanize an education workforce that establishes trauma-informed, neuroinclusive learning communities where all students and educators thrive.