Neuroscientists have made exciting discoveries over the last several decades that have yet to make it into the classroom. We are working to change that.

Cajal Academy is innovating education by grounding every element of curriculum design and the classroom experience in what scientists now understand about how children’s brains develop, how their bodies inform their learning, social and emotional experiences—and what strategies prove effective to change those outcomes. We are integrating this science with innovative educational models for academic and social-emotional learnings that are aligned with current neuroscientific understandings.

Here are some resources to help you learn more about the science behind our approach:

Neuroplasticity

Over the past decade or so, there has been a sea change in scientists’ understandings of children’s brain growth and neurophysiological development, and of how these impact children’s life-lived experiences. Researchers have debunked the myth that our abilities are locked in by early childhood. Instead, they now understand that the human brain constantly rewires itself throughout our lifetime, increasing capacity to perform the tasks we ask it to do. This principle is called “neuroplasticity.”

Now that we know that this is possible, we believe we have a moral obligation to put this science to work to empower children by reducing the impact of learning, social, emotional and neurological disabilities. We believe that educational approaches that focus on accommodating children’s disabilities cannot be justified in the face of scientific and therapeutic advances that point the way to instead addressing those challenges, by building up the neural networks the child needs to perform the tasks that drive them.

The effect of neurophysiologic events and states on mood and thought

Traditional educational models presume that children learn with their brains, feel with their hearts and move with their bodies—but advances in the field of neurophysiology reveal that in fact we cannot separate the three. Sensory stimuli can dysregulate our mind, learning struggles can be the root of significant anxieties, and immunological reactions can temporarily impede core cognitive functions—to name but a few examples. This can be overwhelming—but it reveals critical levers we can use to improve those outcomes as well.

Cajal Academy’s programs integrate research by our Director of Programs, Dr. Steven Mattis, and others into the myriad connections between hidden, internal events and our learning, social and emotional experiences. We’re leveraging that expertise to identify and coach children to monitor, manage and advocate for their own physiological regulatory needs. This is essential for them to succeed independently in the mainstream and professional environments of their choice, and has the potential to revolutionize medical treatment plans through patient education.

Following are some resources that introduce you to these concepts as they impact children with sensory processing disorder — more to come!

 Embodied Cognition

Research shows that students engage more deeply with content and retain it for longer when learning activities are paired with motor and sensory input…so why are we still telling children to “sit still and listen”?

Here is a brief article on the topic… more to come!

The impact of trauma on a child’s availability to learn

We understand social-emotional learning as core to all learning events—for the simple reason that when they do not feel safe and connected, children do not learn. But modern science tells us that there are lots of factors contributing to whether a child will feel that sense of safety, or might instead be trapped in a state of survival, including neurological differences like sensory processing disorder, learned experiences like repeatedly feeling unsuccessful at school, chronic medical experiences and even disruptions to the family system such as adoption or divorce. Equally powerful, modern science tell us that just as the body can contribute to throwing a child into survival mode, so too organizing the body can be used as a lever to help improve that sense of safety as well.

At Cajal Academy, we are building on the work of the movement for trauma-informed school by integrating it with scientific understandings about how neurophysiological differences and events inform children’s social and emotional experiences. We push this through all aspects of the trauma-informed approach, from how we build connection to the factors we explore in helping a child understand their own behaviors to the personalized strategies we teach them for how to self-monitor and ultimately self-manage their own survivalist triggers (emotional, sensory, learning and otherwise). And we share the science behind it with the children themselves, giving them a scientific perspective on their struggles that helps them to understand what Carol Dweck calls “the power of yet,” and an alternative narrative to compete with the self-approbation they hear in their own minds. Here are some videos to provide a little more background on important principles behind our approach.

Here are some videos to provide a little more background on important principles behind our approach.