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Supporting Behavior and Communication IEP Goals: Practical Supports for Neurodivergent Students
Wednesday, September 10, 2025 @ 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDT
Presented by Duncan Scherer, Former Chief Schools Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools (NY), and Superintendent-in-Residence at Social Cipher; and Lucas Harrington, Psy.D., Clinical Psychologist and SEL Consultant, Social Cipher
Moderated by Vanessa Castañeda Gill, CEO and Founder, Social Cipher
Sponsored by Social Cipher
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
View this edWebinar to learn neurodiversity-affirming strategies to support students with IEPs (or similar individualized learning goals), specifically autistic students and those with ADHD, in working towards achieving their behavior and communication IEP goals.
The presenters discuss:
- Key factors influencing communication and behavior challenges in neurodivergent students
- Practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies to support common behavior and communication goals, including tools that engage and empower students
- How to collaborate with families and other professionals to ensure consistent support for communication and behavior goals in different settings
After the session, viewers receive free resources to help them better support neurodivergent students in meeting their IEP goals. This recorded edWebinar is of interest to middle school teachers, school leaders, and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Duncan Scherer is a K-12 education leader and Superintendent-in-Residence at Social Cipher. After serving as a special education teacher, Duncan sought to make an impact on a larger scale by starting a middle school academic program specifically for students with exceptional learning needs. This school program placed a strong emphasis on student advocacy, the explicit teaching of social and emotional skills, and identity affirmation. His advocacy and desire to make a larger impact led him to school systems leadership. In his most recent role as Chief Schools Officer at Democracy Prep Public Schools, he oversaw school leadership in 18 schools across three states. At Social Cipher, Duncan engages with district administrators to bring Social Cipher’s SEL curriculum and online game, Ava, to neurodivergent youth throughout the country.
Lucas Harrington, Psy.D., is an accomplished clinical psychologist, published author, and autism specialist. His academic background along with his personal experience as an autistic person with ADHD allows him to support autistic youth and their families from a place of deep understanding. His clinical areas of expertise include disruptive behavior, emotional regulation, and school avoidance. Dr. Harrington leverages his expertise to enhance Social Cipher’s SEL curriculum and ensure their resources are engaging, effective, and neurodiversity affirming.
About the Moderator
Vanessa Castañeda Gill is the Co-founder and CEO of Social Cipher, an EdTech company that makes social and emotional learning curricula and video games for neurodiverse youth and the professionals who work with them. Inspired by her own journey as an autistic/ADHD individual and her time as a neuroscience researcher, Vanessa decided that social skills were a cipher worth solving and assembled a neurodiverse team of researchers, game developers, educators, and artists to form Social Cipher. Vanessa and her team have earned recognition as Forbes 30 Under 30s, MIT Solvers, and, most recently, LEGO Foundation Partners.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Supporting Students with Special Needs community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
Social Cipher helps middle and high schools improve sense of belonging, self-regulation skills, and inclusion for neurodivergent students—especially those who are autistic or have ADHD. We do this through story-driven video games, inclusive social-emotional learning curricula, and software that gives educators insights into students’ social challenges and strengths. Built by a majority neurodivergent team, our games allow students to interact with neurodiverse characters that truly represent them, giving them the agency to practice social interactions in a safe, engaging, and accessible way. Our curriculum consists of engaging lesson plans and activities based on CASEL and Universal Design for Learning principles and helps educators seamlessly generalize learnings from gameplay into students’ lives. Social Cipher is trusted by 200 schools and therapy centers in eight countries, and has earned recognition from MIT Solve, Games for Change, and, most recently, The LEGO Foundation Play for All Long Term Partners.
