Behaviourism is not inclusion

 Not if you want those of us who are uncomfortable with prolonged eye-contact to actually hear and comprehend anything the speaker is saying. Expecting “one two three, eyes on me” is ableist and disregards diverse needs. Many neurodivergent people may look around while listening and can listen with their ears.

 Seriously, we need to micro-manage how someone has their hands and feet now too? I do stimminy-cricket feet, where I stim by rubbing my feet together. It’s relaxing. I can still work, read, write, pay attention, and learn, even if my feet are wiggling, so mind your business.

If I had to focus on keeping my hands still, I wouldn’t hear a thing because it would use up all of my mental energy not to fidget. Stimmy hands, fidgeting, doodling, etc. are all valid ways for a person to self-regulate and maintain their focus.

I only sit criss-cross applesauce when it is entirely awkward for me to do so, such as in a large swivelling office chair. If I were sitting on the floor there is no way I could sit criss-cross applesauce. We don’t have the right to control other people’s bodies and they can sit however they please, provided they aren’t harming anyone.

Not everyone’s ears can listen. Not surprisingly, they didn’t consider the needs of Deaf and Hard of Hearing students when they made those ableist “whole body listening” poster

 It’s important we help children develop self-awareness, so they learn about themselves and can self-advocate and do what works best for them. Our job is to teach and allow children to make decisions about their own bodies, not try to control their bodies — that sends entirely the wrong message.