Cultivating Effective Communication through Social Emotional Learning, Bouyea, Spring 2026

Course Number:	EDX 5710 S31
Instructor:	Laura Bouyea, M.S.
Location:	Online
Dates and Times:	February 2 - May 18, 2026. Mondays Feb 2 & Feb 9: 2:15-4:15; Tuesday Feb 17: 4-6pm; Mondays March 9, 16, 23, 30; April 6, 13, 20; May 4, 11, 18: 2:15-4:15
Credits:	3 Graduate Credits
Tuition:	$1,195

Course Description

Effective communication involves a back-and-forth interaction between social partners. Additionally, the quality of social connection and exchange of information relies upon how one notices and manages emotional experiences. We often see ‘behaviors’ that appear to be ineffective in place of active engagement and effective social exchange. And understanding behaviors as communication and a reflection of emotional regulation can help educators develop coregulation strategies, scaffolding for engagement, learning, and communication, and social emotional learning (SEL) so that all beings can communicate and learn.

This course will explore how support staff can create the optimal environment, using neurodiversity-affirming practices and leaning into preferences and tendencies, to foster engagement, social emotional regulation, and social communication. We will define SEL and its imperative role in communication, explore sensory processing systems that support emotional well-being, develop individualized tools for coregulation, and scaffolding to support the essential areas of SEL. We will simulate approaches for empowering learners on their own developmental journey with social emotional regulation. Participants will engage in readings, discussions, simulations, and guided application as they develop and design strategies and practices that draw from universal design. These practices celebrate children as their authentic selves, balance guided and unguided opportunities for exchange, and hone children’s capacity for social emotional regulation and effective communication.

 Audience: Interventionists for School-aged learners with a Bachelors Degree

Course Goals & Objectives

Course Goals:

• Define social emotional regulation and its connection to effective exchange
• Explore individual sources of neurodivergence across all communication
• modalities
• Develop programming for integrating perspective-sharing and self-advocacy into social communication and collaborative problem solving in support of effective communication for all.

Course Objectives:

• Explore scaffolding across executive functioning, sensory regulation, self- and social awareness, and social communication to foster effective communication in place of ineffective behaviors
• Apply models of coregulation and self-regulation that help identify states of arousal, emotional states, and cognitive states that underlie communication.
• Design a learning plan that embraces neurodiversity and is tailored to increasing acceptance, connection, and communication for all learning neurotypes

Course Schedule

TENTATIVE AGENDA      

Weeks 1-2

Readings: Murphy (2024); Spaeth & Pearson (2023)

Explore the ‘social’ aspect of social emotional well-being

• Define social emotional regulation and its connection to effective exchange
• Define perspective-sharing and the role of cognitive flexibility in accessing learning and social exchange
• Explore individual sources of neurodivergence across all communication modalities
• Develop and simulate strategies to increase joint attention, mutual engagement, and perspective-sharing

Assignment:

• Develop Learner Profile

Weeks 3-4

Readings: Morris et al. (2024); O’Keefe (2023)

The Social Tango: The Dance of Social Communication

• The development of self-identity
• Explore the connection between self- and social- identity
• Develop programming for integrating perspective-sharing and self-advocacy into social communication
• Fostering cross neurotype communication

Assignments:

• Develop a learner profile that highlight interests, preferences, communication style for a learner
• Define 2-3 strategies for unguided/guided social (play) opportunities
• -Define one goal that supports learning, communication, social relatedness and/or social emotional regulation for your learner

Weeks 5-7

Readings: Marrochini et al. (2024); Morsink et. al. (2022)

‘Social’ With SEL

• Peer Mediated Instruction & Interventions (PMII)
• Assess neurodivergence in terms of play, communication, sensory preferences, and self-regulatory approaches
• Define scaffolding
• Define prompt hierarchy
• Explore scaffolding for:
  • executive functioning, sensory regulation
  • self- and social awareness
  • social communication
  • effective communication in place of ineffective behaviors

Assignments:

• Identify one teaching strategy, cue, prompt, environmental modification to support the goal
• Define support, scaffolds, models that support interaction between peers and support achievement of learner’s goal

Weeks 8-12

Readings: Edwards (2021) Ch 1-5

Integrating Social Emotional Well-being into the classroom

• Sensory processing & regulation
• Models of coregulation & self-regulation
• Emotional literacy & agility
• Integrating emotional regulation, perspective-sharing, and cross-neurotype supports to foster effective social exchange
• Supporting co-regulation

Assignments:

• Define supports for coregulation
• Develop supports, visuals, scaffolds, direct instruction to support active engagement

Finals Due Monday 5/18/26

• Finalized play/lesson plan
• Finalized ‘show what you know’

Instructor

Laura Bonazinga Bouyea, M.S., CCC-SLP holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and a Master of Science Degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Vermont. Prior to opening a private practice, she provided speech language pathology services, autism-focused consultation, and social communication therapy for the Howard Center Baird School, the Jean Garvin School, and in their Autism Spectrum Program. She was a past lecturer at the University of Vermont, a member of the South Burlington Autism Clinical Team, an instructor and lecturer for the Stern Center for Language and Learning and a social communication coach for Mansfield Hall. In addition to running her own practice, Laura continues to provide professional learning and college level courses for the VTSU Center for Schools. She also loves birds of prey, nature-based adventure, and enjoying food wherever she travels.

Required Readings/Resources

Required Readings/Resources: Cost for required readings, if any, are not included in the course tuition.

Edwards, A. (2021). Flooded: A Brain-Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions. ISBN-13: 978-1953945433

Purchase from Amazon  

Required Readings (provided via dropbox):

Morris, B., Havlicu, H., Oldfield, A., & Metatla, O. (2024). Understanding Neurodiverse Social Play Between Autistic and Non-Autistic Children. CHI ’24, May 11–16, Honolulu, HI, USA

Morsink, S., Van der Oord, S., Antrop, I., Danckaerts, M., & Scheres, A., (2022). Studying Motivation in ADHD: The Role of Internal Motives and the Relevance of Self Determination Theory. Journal of Attention Disorders. 26(8):1139-1158.

Murphy, K. A Beginner’s guide to Self-Directed Neurodivergent play. Tapestry. Online Learning Journal.A-Beginners-Guide-to-Self-Directed-Neurodivergent-Play.pdf

O’Keefe, C., & McNally, S. (2025). ‘Like it’s making my heart run’: A strengths-based understanding of the play of autistic children. Autism. 1-14.

Spaeth, E. & Pearson, A.(2023). A Reflective Analysis on Neurodiversity and Student Wellbeing: Conceptualising Practical Strategies for Inclusive Practice. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 11(2) (109-120).  https://doi.org/10.56433/jpaap.v11i2.517

For additional course information

Laura Bonazinga Bouyea

(802) 999-1347

For additional registration information

Center for Schools Team

(802) 468-1325

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