Heart-Centered Connections
Seven Essential Skills for Helping Neurodiverse and Marginalized Children Thrive
A transformative guide for anyone working with the child who is left out, left behind, or labeled “difficult.”
Heart-Centered Connections teaches the best practices to support kids who are misunderstood and marginalized—those who are neurodivergent, have a learning disability, or are trauma survivors. They have extraordinary potential waiting to be unleashed.
Heart-Centered Connections is based on decades of groundbreaking research with over 1,000 child-serving professionals—principals, teachers, foster care program directors, social workers, and parents. Dr. Elliott offers seven pillars that will help you create environments where kids can achieve their full potential. Children mirror adults’ emotions, which is why the first pillar is Self-Awareness. What is your state when you engage with the child? Other pillars include Interpersonal Awareness, Neuroinclusive Spaces, Activated Genius, Engaged Learning, Mindful Communication, and Heart-Centered Repair. You will learn how to:
- Increase your ability to handle stress so you remain composed when a child acts out
- Establish stronger bonds, even with kids who initially seem defiant
- Teach in a way that creates joy and confidence
- Design neuroinclusive environments in which youth of all abilities can flourish
- View the child from a new perspective, offering them choice and dignity
- Help the child settle their nervous system state so they can focus and learn
In this practical book, Dr. Elliott brings clear guidance and a hopeful message: when safety, compassion, and trust come first, real learning can begin. Heart-Centered Connections shows you how to create that foundation.
Reviews
This book needs to be in the hands of every adult who cares about the well-being of neurodiverse students. In Heart-Centered Connections, Dr. Niki Elliott offers a fresh approach to emotional regulation that gets our most vulnerable students ready for learning. She reminds us that social-emotional regulation begins with the adults in the room. Dr. Niki provides practical tools for helping us put on our proverbial oxygen masks before trying to help students feel safe and connected.
Dr. Niki Elliott’s insights challenge educators to enhance their ability to provide effective services for diverse populations. She distills polyvagal theory into actionable steps, empowering professionals to create nurturing environments for children whose lives have been challenged by adversity, marginalization, or disability. Heart-Centered Connections revolutionizes education by prioritizing feelings of safety and inclusion. Her message needs to be heard and implemented at all levels of education.
Heart-Centered Connections has the potential to fundamentally change how we prepare future teachers. This powerful resource offers those who work with pre-service educators a transformative framework that equips them to enter today’s diverse and complex classrooms with insight, empathy, and skill. Grounded in decades of research, the book provides a clear and practical approach to supporting students who are often misunderstood and marginalized. As an educational leader who has personally experienced the Heart-Centered Connections workshop, I have seen firsthand how this work prepares educators to examine their own emotional states, stress responses, and communication patterns—recognizing that children mirror the adults and practices that shape their learning environments.
$27.95 CAD • $20.95 USD
Published JULY 21ST, 2026
PAPERBACK, EBOOK, AUDIOBOOK