2, 4, 6, 8 ---This is How We Regulate!!

A Robinson School parent workshop presented

by:

Coleen Noble, OTR/L

Mary Terrio, MA
 What is Self-Regulation?

 The ability to manage and direct one’s own physical states,

feelings, thoughts, and actions in healthy, pro-active ways
to be successful across several domains of life.

 It is universal…a set of skills everyone needs for success.

 Also called self-control, emotion regulation, coping,

impulse control, executive function, etc.
Why is Self-Regulation Important?

 Directly related to success in learning, academic

performance, social interaction, overall health, safety and
more.

 Is critical for success in school, work, and life

 A better predictor of academic success than IQ.

 Correlates highly with longevity and happiness

Self-Regulation requires the skills and
ability to:

 Identify one’s physical state to be able to then calm or

arouse one’s body and physical state

 Identify, express and manage one’s feelings in an age

appropriate and healthy ways

 Manage one’s thoughts and engage in cognitive

processes such as problem solving and academic
learning
Teaching Self-Regulation Skills

 Self-regulation skills can be taught.

 Overall, children learn self-regulation by observing
how others, especially significant adults regulated
themselves.
 Self-regulation skills develop gradually, so it is
important that adults hold developmentally
appropriate expectations for children’s behavior.
 Some children need direct instruction and practice to
learn these skills.
Sensory Processing/Modulation

 Natural process of the maturing nervous

system
 The ability to appropriately grade one’s
responses to sensory stimuli
 To react to the environment without over or
under-respond to stimuli
PROGRAMS AT ROBINSON

The Alert Program

Zones of Regulation
How Does
Your Engine
Run
The Alert Program for Self-
Regulation
Developed by
Mary Sue Williams, OTR/L
Sherry Shellenberger, OTR/L
The Alert Program
The “Alert Program” is based on the
principals of Sensory Integration.
The “Alert Program” helps children
who are typically developing, as well
as children who experience
differences in sensory integration,
including the ability to take in and
make sense out of daily sensory
experiences.
 Self Regulation Terms
 Arousal (alertness): state of the nervous
system and the readiness for one to
attend, concentrate, and complete a
task.
 Self Regulation: ability to attain, maintain,
and change one’s arousal level as
needed for a task or activity.
The Alert Program Stages
 Stage One: Identifying Engine Needs
Learn to label engine levels- high, low, just right
 Stage Two: Experimenting with Methods to
Change Engine Speeds
 Stage Three: Regulating Engine Speeds
 Students chose strategies
Stage One
Identifying Engine Needs

Students learn the words needed to

understand the program
--High- over excited, wild, out-of-
control
--Low- couch potato, sluggish
--Just Right- easy to learn, play,
get along with friends and have fun
TOO LOW CAR

JUST RIGHT CAR

TOO HIGH CAR

Stages Two and Three
Experimenting with Methods to Change Engine
Speeds

 Students are taught sensorimotor activities

which can help to change engine levels
 Adult helps students identify sensorimotor
preferences
 Students try various strategies with adult
support
 Sensory Motor Preferences
for Adults

As adults, we employ techniques throughout our day to

help us navigate our daily challenges. These strategies
are used without our “thinking” about their need. They
help us either to increase or decrease our state of
alertness. What may be alerting for one person may not
have the same effect on another person. We are all
individuals and our nervous systems react uniquely to
environment.
Five Ways to Influence Our Systems

 Oral Motor Input— put something in mouth

 Vestibular & Proprioceptive – move
 Tactile Input – touch
 Visual Input – look
 Auditory Input – listen
 ORAL

 Something you do: blow, suck, bite, chew

 Feel or taste: resistance when biting/chewing,
sour, sweet, salty, temperature of food
 Item itself: straw, whistle, water bottle, gum

ADULT ACTIONS: chew gum, suck on hard candy, drink coffee

or soda, nail bite, smoke cigarettes, chew on cheeks/lips,
drink something cold or hot, breathe slowly and deeply, eat
snacks which could be crunchy, sour, chewy, whistle
 MOVEMENT

 Up and down
 Front and back
 Circles
 Upside down
 Heavy work

ADULT ACTIONS: rock or swivel in a chair, cross legs and

swing one leg, tip a chair back, tap feet, fingers, or pencil,
“doodle” while talking or listening, work out, run/jog,
stretch, moving furniture, carrying groceries, skiing,
 TACTILE/TOUCH

 Temperature Variables
 Light Touch:
 Deep touch

ADULT ACTIONS: fidget with small items (paperclip, pen

cover, earring, necklace), petting dog/cat, get a
massage, twist hair, warm bath/cool shower, rub
clothing or skin, bear hug with a close friend, heavy quilt
 VISUAL

 Lighting
 Colors
 Visual Distractions

 ADULT ACTIONS: lighting can be natural or florescent,

adjust lighting: dimmer switch or window shades,
watch a fireplace or fish tank, organize a cluttered
area/desk, wear eye mask at night, wall hangings,
 AUDITORY

 Noise Level
 Background Distractions:

ADULT ACTIONS: listen to music (jazz, classical),

suing/hum to self, working in quiet/noisy room, talk to
yourself, reactions to noises such as fire alarms, tic tock
of a clock, hum of an air conditioner, dogs barking,
ocean waves, birds singing early in the morning…
CLASSROOM AIDS

MOVEMENT

 Paper Passer or errands to office

 Seat cushions
 Weighted lap pads
 Theraband or “Deskercizer” around base of desk to push on with feet
 Work bin positioned for movement (bend, twist, move)
 Students can walk up and down stairs
 HOME IDEAS FOR MOVEMENT
MOVEMENT CALMING
VESTIBULAR
 Swing on swings/hammock
 Rock slowly on rocking chair
 Roll over ball
 Take a break and do an errand
ALERTING
 Bounce on a ball
 Jump on trampoline
 Do jumping jacks, skip, twirl,
somersaults
 Hang upside down on jungle gym
 Crawl under tables, through
tunnels
 Dance to music
 HOME IDEAS FOR MOVEMENT

MOVEMENT CALMING ALERTING

HEAVY WORK
 Carry grocery bags  Jumping into couch pillows
 Move furniture  Wheelbarrow walk
 Vacuum floors  Exercise with weights
 Shovel snow  Dance
 Wear a weighted back pack  Erase the board
 Carry books  Climb stairs
 Perform isometric palm pushes  Hike
CLASSROOM AIDS - CONTINUED
TACTILE/TOUCH
 Position in Line – first or last
 Preferential seating
--back row to avoid students in back of
him/her
--desk on an end to have more room on one
side
 Use of thinking tools/fidgets
 HOME IDEAS FOR TOUCH

CALMING ALERTING
TOUCH

 Weighted lap pads or vests  Tickle to palm of hand

 Under-Armour clothing  Light touch to lips
 Theraputty  Fidget with items
 Rice bin with hidden objects  Cold water to face
 Heavy quilt or weighted
blankets
 Flannel sheets
 Seamless socks
 Tagless shirts
 Rub lotion on skin
 Warm bath
CLASSROOM AIDS - CONTINUED
VISUAL
 Use of colors- highlight important information in bold color
 Limit visual distractions- minimize wall hangings/charts, keep area work
space free from clutter
 Use of place marker for reading/copying
 Use of study carrol or privacy boards
HOME IDEAS FOR VISUAL INPUT

VISUAL
CALMING ALERTING

 Soft lights or dim lights  Bright colors or lights

 Pastel colors  Highlight important
 Clear desk of clutter information
 Wear sunglasses  Block out areas of busy
papers
CLASSROOM AIDS -CONTINUED
AUDITORY

 Avoid sitting child near heating or cooling systems

 Use of music- fast or slow paced
 Use of noise blocking headphones
 Tubes for channeling sound (read to self)
 Sitting at back of room for assemblies
 HOME IDEAS FOR AUDITORY
AUDITORY CALMING
 Play quiet music with slow beat
 Use headphones to deaden noise
 Cover ears when unexpected,
loud noise occurs
ALERTING
 Play music with fast or uneven
beat
 Advance notice of loud noise
 Speak with animated voice
 Exposure to sound emitting
toys and environments
CLASSROOM AIDS - CONTINUED
ORAL

 Chewing gum- with parental permission

 Crunchy or chewy snacks
 Sour snacks or drinks for alerting
 Thin straws for drinking juice/milk
 Chewelry
 HOME IDEAS FOR ORAL INPUT
ORAL CALMING
 Drink warm liquids
 Suck liquids through coffee stirrer
 Eat yogurt through straw
 Drink from sports bottle
 Chew or suck on mild flavored
foods or candy
 Mouth chewelry : bracelet or
necklace
ALERTING
 Eat crunchy, chewy, salty foods
such as pretzels, fruit roll ups,
carrot sticks, beef jerky, soft
pretzels
 Eat sour foods such as
lemonade, sour patch kids
candy
 Chew bubble gum
 Drink cold liquids or popsicles
The ZONES of Regulation
Zones/Alert Combo
 The ZONES of Regulation

Steps for learning

 Learning the physical states, related
feelings and management strategies
 Identifying triggers
 Identifying and practicing 2-3 strategies to
help us return to the green zone from the
blue, yellow and red zones
 Making use of a strategy in the moment
Zones of Regulation
 Tools Taught
Sensory Strategies Calming Techniques Thinking Strategies

 Drink  Deep breathing  Self-talk

 Bathroom  Worry dolls  Thinking good thoughts
 Wall push-up  Tense and relaxing  Use your imagination
 Palm press or tickles muscles  Big problem vs. little
 Wiggle cushion  Worry stones problem, Brain break
 Lap pad  Worry/feeling book  I-messages
 Worry stone  Counting to 10  Talk about it
 Clay  Asking for help  5 Pt. Scale
 Ball chair
 Chair push-ups
 Movement break
 Arm squeezes
Strategies
Stress & Feeling Regulation
Strategies
 The Incredible 5-Pt Scale

 Helps make a behaviors and emotions more concrete for the

child.

 Simplifies language, breaks down unclear concepts

 Helps the child learn that behaviors or emotions occur on a

continuum of severity and can differ by degree ( scale from 1
to 5)

 Helps the child understand varying perspective with regards

to behavior and feelings.
Test Taking
The
Incredible
5 Pt.Test
Scale
Worry/Feeling Book

Schedule Worry Time

Worry Dolls

Worry Stones
Talk to Yourself
Be Your Own Coach
Breathing
Feelings

The
Incredible
5-Pt Scale
Sample student chart
When my work is hard and I get
frustrated, I can:

Arm squeezes Take think time

Neck stretches Do my work

Classroom Lessons
Think CAPS – Grade 2

Conflict Resolution
Think CAPS

COOLING OFF
STRATEGIES
Zones of Regulation - Pre First
 What Parents Can Do

 Use the Language of the Alert and Zones programs.

 Talk about what zone or physical state is expected for a

situation or unexpected.

 Modeling - Parents are the most powerful model for

children. Promote healthy self-regulation and self-care. You
can Think Outloud and model using strategies.
 What Parents Can Do

 Share your observations of your child’s

physical and emotional states.

 Help your child to identify triggers.

 Assist your child with identifying the strategies that work for him or her
and encourage their use.

 Praise your child’s effort.

 Remember learning these skills is a process. It takes time and

encouragement.
 What Parents Can Do
 Exercise and play

 Healthy food and hydration

 Cutting activities (reduce over-scheduling)

 Provide routines and predictability

 Monitor TV viewing and screen time

 Don’t over-protect…help them to become problem solvers

 Children need sleep!

What Parents Can Do
Teach and play games that foster self-regulation.
Children learn:
o Red Light, Green Light – pay attention, follow
directions and wait their turn
o Simon Says - listen carefully, pay attention and follow
directions
o Hide n’ Seek - wait patiently and quietly
o Role Playing – provides opportunity to think about
other choices and not respond impulsively.
Make the games more challenging by changing the rules.
Questions
Sesame Street

 But Me Wait
 SONGAMES CD

 THE WAITING SONG

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE RESOURCE TABLE:

O Home Activities
O Books
O Music
O Resources for Supplies
O Items used in school you can try out
O Take home bag with sensory items
 Resources
O Chapin, Brad & Matthew Penner. Helping Young People Learn
Self-Regulation. Youth Light, Inc., 2012.

O Cookie Crumbly
http://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/theshow/crumby-pictures

O Kuypers, Leah. The Zones of Regulation: A Curriculum

Designed to Foster Self-Regulation and Emotional Control.
San Jose, CA: Social Thinking Publishing, 2011.

O Luby, Thia. Children’s Book of Yoga. Sante Fe: Clear Light,

1998.
 Resources con’t
 Taffel, Ron. Nurturing Good Children Now. New York:
Golden Books Publishing, 1999.

 Trivell, Lisa. I Can’t Believe It’s Yoga for Kids. New

York: Hatherleigh p/getfitnow.com, 2000.

 Williams, Mary Sue & Sherry Shellenberger. How Does Your

Engine Run: The Alert Program for Self Regulation.

 MSPP Interface is a community resource for Westford

parents. It provides information referral for mental health or
behavioral concerns. http://msppinterface.org/
 Resources con’t
 --Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory
Processing Disorder (SPD), by Lucy Jane Miller, 2006, NY Putnam
& Sons

 --Building Bridges Through Sensory Integration, by Yack, Aquilla,

Sutton, 2002, Future Horizons, Inc

 Sensory Parenting: From Newborns to Toddlers, by collins and

Olson,

 Songames for Sensory Processing, audio disc by Lande,, Wiz,

Hickman, and Friends
 Resources con’t
 --www.SensoryWorld.com

 --www.therapro.com

 --www.alertprogram.com

 --www.SmartKnitKids.com –seemless clothing and other

 accessories

 --www.Portableparenting.com- apps for Iphone