Self-Regulation in the Classroom • Stephanie Kucan – Children’s Occupational Therapist

• Katrina Morgan – SEN Class Teacher – Northern House Special School

Self regulation is a balancing act! Self regulation is the ability to monitor and manage depending on context, our: - behaviour - thoughts and - feelings We regulate ourselves by: - inhibiting impulses - ignoring irrelevant distractions - persisting in the face of difficulty, and - bouncing back from upset

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Regulated child

Dysregulated child

Mental: On task

Distractible, diverted from task by irrelevant details, unable to see goal/big picture

Emotional: Bounces back from disappointment, frustration

Struggles to recover from upset, may take hours or escalate to meltdown

Social: Understands, can identify and empathise own and others feelings/moods

Responds inappropriately, or doesn’t respond to other’s state, self absorbed.

Physical: knows when tired, cold, overcome. Seeks and responds to constructive forms such as hugs, playing outside, bath.

Doesn’t notice or register physical sensations, or seeks extremes without satisfaction

Think of the children that you know/work with – what are they like when they are in a regulated state? What are they like when they are in a dysregulated state? Think of their behaviours…

Physical Self Regulation • Infants need another to help them calm and soothe (rocking, swaddling, cuddling). By about 7 years old, a typical child learns to use strategies independently. • There is an ongoing interchange between the state of our physical, mental, emotional and social selves. • Developmental disorders such as ASD, ADHD, or trauma can impact the capacity to self regulate. • On a daily basis, factors impact our physical state: • Sleep deprivation – feeling fatigued and unfocussed • Hunger – unable to concentrate

Sensory Self Regulation • Self regulation at the physical and mental level is impacted by our senses – eyes, ears, tongue, skin, vestibular organs and muscle spindles may not function properly. • The brain needs to integrate information from all of the senses to form an appropriate response. Poor sensory modulation : • oversensitivity – intolerant of touch, sounds or smells • under sensitivity – may not notice when name is called, an injury • craving of sensory input – needing more of that input to feel calm, or fixating e.g. on audio or visual stimulus

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Mental Self Regulation Children need good attention and focus in order to engage and be successful. Difficulties may be the result of brain function! ADHD symptoms are the result of under developed executive function. •Inattention – organisation difficulties, forgetfulness, easily distracted •Impulsivity – Interrupt, blurt out, take over •Hyperactivity – excessive movement and talking, fidgeting •Self management strategies include mindfulness and meditation, visual timetables, sand timers and clear organisation devices to help children with ASD.

Emotional Self Regulation • Emotional regulation deeply connected with physical, mental and sensory regulation

• Sensory child irritated by clothing tags may become cranky and frustrated • Children may be inclined to overreact in an attempt to make others understand how difficult their life is • Children with ADHD, when impulsive or hyper active are out of touch with their emotions

• Children with ASD may lack the ability to express their emotions and thus need to be taught about emotions explicitly e.g how to show emotions on their face, and how to read emotions in another person’s face

Social Self Regulation: outcome of all the other forms: • Concerned with maintaining good self-regulation in the social arena • The better the foundation of all the other areas of self-regulation, the easier social self-regulation will be • A child with sensory issues may be too overwhelmed to pay attention to a friend

• A child with ADHD may act out with impulsivity or hyperactivity, driving potential friends away • A child with ASD may be perfectly content in their own world and not care about making friends at all • We can give children strategies to help them to be successful in social situations – social stories, expected/unexpected behaviour, discrete modelling

At Northern House we have worked on building self regulation skills in the classroom, through a combination of a weekly class group sessions to provide the framework, and class-based strategies throughout the week to generalise the skills. Link feelings to colour code for ease of identifying

Identify feelings: -label signs in self and others

Self regulation programme Use in everyday classroom: - take a break space - behavioural strategies -tools

Develop toolbox: - thinking - physical - sensory

Thinking: - size of the problem - I can vs I can't Physical: - obstacle course - targeted activity - movement break Meditation Massage Breathing

What does it look like in class… • 1:1 sessions • Small groups • Class PSHE lessons • Class lessons with OT

• ‘Take a Break’ space • Consistently checking in

• Calm environment – pastel colours, not too busy

Suggested IEP goals for Self – Regulation • Can label emotions in self and others accurately • Understands body language and identifies facial expressions • Understands what moods are appropriate for what situations • Can reflect on how their behaviour impacts others • Can identify symptoms of different mood levels (such as stomach pain, clenched fists, relaxed muscles) • Identifies triggers that cause loss of regulation in self • Shows insight into own self regulation, by reflecting on instances in their day where they could have benefitted from using a self regulation tool • Able to list tools/strategies they find calming and those that are alerting

Strategies include physical, cognitive, and behavioural approaches Physical and sensory strategies require first an understanding of the child's sensory profile, what they seek, what they avoid, and are sensitive to. Then tailor movement breaks and calm down plan accordingly Out on errands: Bear hug, carry heavy bags, muscle squeeze and relax. At home: Rolling in blankets, obstacle course, jumping on the bed. In class: Chair or wall press ups, limb massage, face massage, applying pressure to shoulders. In the car: fidget bag with a fine motor activity (bubble wrap, play dough), bubbles, breathing

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Cognitive or thinking strategies:

• Developing a calm down plan • Thinking about the size of the problem vs our reaction

• I can vs I can't voice

“Gives us a language to use in describing feelings. It is useful to have a consistent system”

...helps kids understand their own triggers

Children develop and use tools to label feelings

“You use the poster ideas to make yourself feel happy again.”

Practical ways to help dysregulated children • Blackout/weighted blankets • Pop up tent • Ear defenders • Fiddle toys – things to squeeze, twist, stretch, organise • Sand timer • Liquid motion toys • Tangle toys • Pipe cleaners

 Play dough  Rip up paper  Make a paperclip chain  Worry box – Post its  Breathing exercises – Lazy 8  Meditation – Headspace Take 10 (free)  Yoga – clips on youtube.com

What changes/improvements were observed in our class? • Improved emotional literacy • Modified behaviour • Increased confidence in ‘checking in’ • Pro-actively using the strategies

Observations November 2015: Unsettled, attention seeking, calling out, fidgeting, refusing/not able to engage June 2016: In group session, all engaged, raising hands (mostly) Child

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Additional group contributions…

Is it behaviour or something else? A child's reaction can become a learned behaviour. Working out if a behaviour is due to a sensory reaction involves: - analysing the Antecedant, Behaviour and Consquence guides understanding of triggers and rewards. - the Behaviour Checklist helps to unpick the problem behaviour - assessment by a therapist trained in Sensory Integration provides for sensory processing difficulties.

Further Reading • The Zones of Regulation by Leah Kuypers • Self-Regulation Interventions and Strategies by Teresa Garland • My many coloured days, Dr Seuss • The out of sync child has fun Carol Stock Karowitz