Jogo Behaviour Support Conference 2024 - Flipbook - Page 3
Keynote Speakers
Dr Suzanne
Zeedyk
Fierce Curiosity:
Making sense of the debate about
trauma-informed practice
There is growing awareness of traumainformed practice within the education
community. Some teachers and schools are
enthusiastically embracing this shift, while
others are more cautious and sceptical. How
can we make sense of this debate? That is
the question Dr Suzanne Zeedyk will explore
in this keynote address, by drawing on
debates about children’s care from earlier
moments in British history. They are all
fascinating and discomforting stories, so she
will be bringing to them the lens that she calls
‘Fierce Curiosity’. We will find there is lots to
be learned from history we have forgotten
that can help us in reflecting on challenges
we face today.
Biography
Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk is a research scientist
fascinated by babies’ innate capacity to
communicate. Since 1993, she has been based
at the University of Dundee, Scotland, within
the School of Psychology, where she now
holds an honorary post. In 2011, she stepped
away from full-time academic work to set
up her independent training enterprise to
disseminate what she calls the Science of
Connection. Humans are born connected,
and as a species, we have a physiological
need for emotional connection to lead
happy, healthy lives. Suzanne thought the
public deserved to understand the science
that gives depth to these insights. In 2014,
she expanded her reach by founding the
organisation Connected Baby, which enabled
her team to create events and resources that
support her message.
We estimate that, in the past 10 years, well
over 100,000 people have heard her speak
live, and many more have watched videos
or read her books and blogs. Suzanne
brings to her work her awareness of the
latest discoveries on infant communicative
capacities and brain development, as well as
her own research expertise on parent-infant
relationships and the socio-political contexts
within which scientific information emerges.
Suzanne now works closely with
organisations worldwide, holding on to the
same goal she set out: We need to increase
awareness of the decisions we take about
caring for children because they are integrally
connected to our vision for the kind of society
we wish to build.