@fesshole Maybe if one were to use the term "Positive Reinforcement Learning Strategies", and then follow it up with "These are strategies that, in adapted forms, have proven exceptionally effective in e.g. Service Dog training. Note that the underlying principles can be surprisingly effective in the classroom as well."

That way, the focus is on the principle and the strategy, while keeping the implication "surprising" rather than potentially devaluing to the sensitive listener...?

@ermo @fesshole

"These strategies work on mammals generally"

@eestileib @ermo @fesshole

The parts of the brain that handle emotions are very old, and they're very similar across many types of animals.

The fancy thinking parts of our brains are new, and riding around on top of that old limbic system trying to tell it what to do-- which doesn't work very well even in adults. Knee-jerk fear and so on is built to work faster than rational decision-making.

Children don't have very developed thinky parts yet. Even grownups need to understand that handling your own emotions is a lot like training yourself like an animal. It takes consistency, repetition, and time.