Social Emotional Learning in the Classroom
September 2025 Lunch + Learn: Social Emotional Learning
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) helps students build the skills to understand their feelings, connect with others, and navigate challenges with confidence. For students with autism and other developmental disabilities, SEL is especially powerful—it creates opportunities to practice communication, develop friendships, and build self-advocacy skills in ways that celebrate their strengths. Learn how you can implement SEL in your classroom with this Lunch + Learn.
About LASARD Lunch + Learns
Welcome to LASARD’s free Lunch + Learn webinar series! Each month, our expert LASARD
facilitators or guests will discuss topics like social skills, visual supports, self-regulation
tips, communication strategies, and more! These webinars are for educators, families,
and anyone else interested.
Lunch + Learns happen on the second Friday of each month from 12:00-12:30pm.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals. SEL helps individuals feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.
Hundreds of independent studies consistently demonstrate that social-emotional learning benefits students. Decades of research show SEL has always been important, and it's more evident now than ever before.
- For mental health, students who were engaged in SEL programs experienced fewer behavioral problems and decreased emotional distress.
- For skills development, students who were engaged in SEL programs saw improvement in social-emotional skills.
- And for school climate, SEL improves students' perception of school climate, safety, and sense of belonging.
When fully implemented, school-wide SEL contributes to more successful and equitable outcomes for young people, and is evidenced by the following indicators: explicit instruction, youth voice and engagement, supportive discipline, and systems for continuous improvement or sustainability.
Register for the next Lunch + Learn!
Next date: Friday, October 10 at 12:00 pm
Topic: Understanding the IEP with Brittany Clark
Grab your lunch and join us for a practical, teacher-friendly session on the key parts of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). We’ll break down each section in simple terms—what it means, what to include, and how it connects to your work in the classroom. This session will give you tips you can use right away to help ensure your students’ IEPs truly support their learning and success.