Zones of regulation/Calmer classrooms

Zones of regulation

Children do well...if they can.

The ability to self regulate is dependent on three things :

1. Sensory processing, making sense of something then acting e.g. fire alarm
2. Executive functioning- control centre in the brain
3. Emotional regulation- monitoring, evaluating and modifying the intensity and timing of the emotional response

Exclusion can be counter productive to reducing negative behaviour, we are at risk of copying behaviour the student has experienced all their life.

We must teach the skills we want to see, we must praise them for doing this, the students who do not take praise well, need even more, they are not used to it!

Generally acting out is not due to the reward offered or the incentive, they simply don’t have the skills, knowledge or understanding to act appropriately

4 zones can be compared to traffic lights, green is fine, red needs to stop, blue - pull over for a rest, yellow zone is to slow down.

Each zones lesson runs for 30-60 minutes, if not ready to work in a small group then 1-1 must be done first.

Follow the book verbatim, no shortcuts just adaptations to suit our students, the activities in the book are aimed at students working at or above their age expectation

Pick our battles, we can’t always sweat the small stuff, otherwise we are at risk of constantly being on their case, think how that must feel…

The golden rule is that new skills/tools need to be taught when students are calm, once they have reached a heightened state there will be no learning done, we simply need to provide a space and time to calm.

What will we do/tell parents about this?  How will we educate them?

Calmer classrooms - Child safety commissioner , Victoria Australia

Have strong attachments to trusted adults at an early age builds resilience and helps students feel calm and “attached”.  A child needs to grow up with love so that they not only experience it and can depend on it but they also realise that they are worth loving.

A constant calm and reassuring parent has a dramatically different impact than the yelling, punishing and blaming parent.

A great example is a situation when they may be a dog who rushes into the front yard of a house, one parent may pick up and infant and soothe and reassure and the other might punish, yell and blame the child for being there.  Imagine the impact of using the wrong approach over a lifetime…

People become resilient and can cope better with stress in adult life if they are exposed to some stress in childhood.

Trauma comes in many different forms, often people think of terrorist attacks, earthquakes etc… but 80% of all trauma happens in the home setting.

Each time a young child is left cold, hungry, dirty or unattended this experience triggers a fear response, which turns to trauma if it goes on for too long.  This fear or terror can have the same effect on the brain and body of the child as abuse. It slows brain growth and social development.

Research indicates that the earlier intervention is applied, the greater the chance of recovery. The older the child and the longer they have been exposed, the harder it is to recover.  However, the presence of other caring adults in the child’s life will build resilience and maintain hope and provide a different template of possibility (Perry 2006)

Recovery from trauma will not occur unless the child is safe.  There is no hope for recovery from trauma if the trauma is still occuring.

It is therefore no surprise that this has an impact on learning.

Impacts on academic performance	Impacts on social relationships
Reduced cognitive capacity	Need for control (causes conflict)
Sleep disturbance therefore poor concentration	Attachment difficulties
Difficulties with memory (makes learning harder)	Poor peer relationships (making the school day an unpleasant experience)
Language delays ( reduced capacity for listening,understanding and expressing)	Unstable living situation ( reduced learning and capacity to engage with new school)

Some children who have a secure attachment at home, then feel safe and nurtured at school.  In some cases school can provide a secure attachment as an alternative to the adversity at home.

Trauma impacted students will manage change more easily if the focus is on the relationship and not the behaviour or behaviour management strategies.

The central concept to working with these children is to be in control of the relationship without being controlling.  The teacher sets the tone, rhythm and emotional quality. Not being able to control you emotionally will eventually teach the child that it is safe to trust you.

Keep the child close, maintain a high level of physical presence, support and supervision , as you would for a much younger child.

Try to avoid having the child control your emotions by making you upset or angry.  If you feel yourself becoming angry or feeling rejected or hurt, take a moment to reflect, calm yourself then come back to the interaction.  Use each other for support.

When we see negative behaviour, use statements to help get the desired outcome :

I see you need help with … (stopping an activity, moving to another part of the room, not kicking a chair etc…) Warnings and second chances are less helpful for these students.

When problems arise, address it directly and clearly - “You hit Jane, so you need to sit here with me until I decide that you can play without hurting others”

Time in not time out

Time out replicates the rejection these children have often experienced and reinforces the child’s internal working model of self as unloved.  Bring the child close, provide calming activities, speak quietly about how much fun it will be when she can join in and co-operate.

Consequences not punishment

Consequences should be natural, they should make sense to the child, designed to fix the problem or repair any damage to relationships etc…  Apologies, doing nice things for the person, cleaning the mess made etc…

The consequence MUST relate directly to the behaviour.

When praising students, ensure they understand why… rather than “good girl” or “well done”, try “I was impressed by how you ran so fast”

For children who are prone to aggressive outbursts, we must have a plan to deal with this, detailing who does what, when and where.  The parent or caregiver must be involved in this.

When highly aroused and dysregulated, the child is not able to think clearly or make good decisions. The child will also be terrified by their own lack of control, which heightens their emotions further. They will need to calm down and will not be able to respond to logical requests until they are calmer.

The other children...

We need to remember to debrief the other children, particularly if they have been directly involved.  They may need to have explained the schools process for dealing with these incidents.

Look after ourselves !

Reflection, regulation and relaxation.

Reflect

Take time to reflect on the child you are teaching, your relationship with the child and any support you may need.

• Reflect on the child’s behaviour. What were they doing, why.  Think about the information you now have about abuse and neglect.
• Try to understand the behaviour
• What are my thoughts/feelings?  Can I regulate?
• What were my responses?
• Where is our relationship at? Is the child able to connect with me?
• What assistance do I need?
• Who can I speak with about how I feel?

Regulate

It is important to acknowledge and regulate the feelings that teaching a child with trauma can have on you, we as adults have potentially experienced some type of trauma at some stage.

Manage your own responses by :

• Knowing the child might make you upset or angry in order to recreate familiar patterns
• Knowing that strong emotions are contagious
• Knowing what  your own trigger points are and what upsets you the most
• Taking time to calm
• Calling for support
• Having clear plans in place for when things go off track
• Debriefing after a major incident

Relaxation

This is vital to renew your energy.

• Make time for yourself and family
• Make time for yourself and things you are interested in, hobbies, time with friends etc…
• Keep a sense of humour
• Be patient and realistic with yourself

Lee & UBRS

UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOUR: RESPONDING SAFELY

• Critically examine how my own assumptions and beliefs, including cultural beliefs, impact on practice and the achievement of learners with different abilities and needs, backgrounds, genders, identities, languages and cultures. 
• Engage in professional learning and adaptively apply this learning in practice. 

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka

A choppy sea can be navigated.

Key Points

• There are no bad kids.  Just kids who are trying to express themselves the best they know how.
• Why UBRS? Schools are committed to managing behaviour positively.  There have been serious incidents.  
• Avoid restraints if you have not been trained.  Safety is paramount.
• Focus on deescalating the situation to avoid physical conflict.
• Teachers and staff need to keep themselves safe or are no use to anybody.
• MODULES- Understanding Behaviour, Encouraging Ready to Learn Behaviour, Responding Safely, Reflection and Embedding.

UNDERSTANDING BEHAVIOUR

Look at the what and how and we can discover the why.  We aim to understand the 'why' in order to be more effective as a teacher.  Observe and take the time to observe children.  An idea, a notebook so there is coverage to focus on each child.  Reinforce what you want to see.  Revisit this and teach what we want to see.  Understand yourself as our own perceptions will influence how we respond.  Think about own values and beliefs.  When we understand ourselves, we can work towards understanding our reactions to behaviours that challenge us.  We need to present the calm.  

What pushes our buttons?  Silent treatment, not doing what asked, sooks, violence, selective disrespect, nasty, refusal to do simple things, red zone and screaming non stop, tone and body language, way kids speak to adults, verbal abuse to other kids, manners and lack of them, avoidance crying, shut down, outright defiance and verbal outbursts, unkindness, not sharing and being a bit selfish, back chat, it wasn't me line.  

• Looking at the things that we don't see:
• Why might I be crying?  No breakfast, lack of sleep, bro cried all night, issue at home, get my own, name calling, crying usually works, not allowed TV, friend is being mean, teacher is being mean, sister is sick, got yelled at, grumpy mum, bro is a dick, mum got a hiding, fell over, no attention at home. 
• Aim to look a little deeper to see what might be going on for children. 

Cortisol affects memory so instructions may not have been heard or taken in.  With adrenaline and cortisol in systems, kids become hyper vigilant and on the lookout for a hit.  Takes at least an hour for cortisol to leave the body.  Is exhausting.  Returning to the state of calm is important.  Creating a calm and safe environment will support this.  Restorative conversations may need to take place the following day.

ENCOURAGING READY TO LEARN BEHAVIOUR

• What are you doing to ensure that your body language will help deescalate?

Creating effective environments-if we want o see a specific set of behaviours, we need to teach and allow for practise time so it becomes a way of being and a habit.  Generally kids want to do the right thing but sometimes don't know how to do the right thing.  Need to keep reteaching.  

Fold Your Arms- We all have a certain way.  Is it going to get easier the more we are asked to fold them in a different way.  Some things may help us with the task although we might only focus on that.  The change is a process.  Behaviour change takes time.  

Relationships Factors-

Teachers can: Spot warning signs, de-escalate, manage effectively during a crisis, be effective in crisis

Students can: Be more responsive, model from you, learn from you, maintain emotional regulation.

Think about a teacher who had an impact on you.  What was it that they did and how did they make you feel?  

Activity: 

Exercise 2.1: Knowing your students

Think about a student you find challenging and take a couple of minutes to answer the

questions.

Exercise 2.1 a

When you set tasks, do you know for sure whether he or she can do it? If so, can they do it

in the way you want or in another way?

Exercise 2.1 c

If you are unsure or don’t know about a student, what could you do to get a better

understanding?

Emotional Regulation

Help students maintain emotional regulation, we need them to feel safe and connected.

We want students to feel valued and to believe...

What promotes a loss of emotional responses?  

What student hears or interprets and what students think.  (Need to get the slides of what encourages emotional regulation)

• Children will often respond better if you are standing to the side of them rather than front on.  Side by side.
• Pasifika children tend not to engage in eye contact through respect values.
• Portray calm and situations may be managed more effectively.  

• Do children know that it is ok to return to school/class and be safe and treated fairly?
• Think about speed, tone and volume of voice. 

For the future:

• Training is available around students who are currently on MOE Behaviour system.
• Post training, we will look at our school wide behaviour management plan so we are consistent.
• Maintain mana-walk away and determine your next move.  
• Ensure that students know what we are doing and when as some children struggle with change.

Distressed or Deliberately defiant? 

Managing challenging student behaviour due to trauma and disorganised attachment  

Dr. Judith Howard

Attachment - Bowlby and Ainsworth messages

• Healthy attachment meets the safety and protection needs are met
• Healthy attachment allows a young child to explore their environment with a feeling of safety and security.
• Healthy attachment helps a child to learn basic trust.
• Healthy attachment helps the child to coregulate their emotions and build to self-regulating.
• Healthy attachment creates a foundation for the formation of identity and a sense of self.
• Healthy attachment helps to establish a pro-social moral outlook
• Healthy attachment helps to generate a world view that people and life are basically good

Two broad categories of attachment – Secure and Insecure, secure shows healthy attachment. Insecure attachment is in 3 subgroups

• Resistant – is extremely distressed by separation, is unable to settle emotionally, can seem to desire and repel parental support and contact
• Avoidant – shows little interest in parent and can actively avoid contact and support from them.
• Disorganized - often display a confusing mix of behaviour and may seem disoriented, dazed, or confused. Children may both avoid or resist the parent as well as showing a need for strong attachment. Some researchers believe that the lack of a clear attachment pattern is likely linked to inconsistent behaviour from caregivers. In such cases, parents may serve as both a source of comfort and a source of fear, leading to disorganized behaviour.

The science…

The nervous system is the control centre for your body. It interprets the things your body senses, and it sends information to the muscles and glands, telling them what to do. It also runs the systems you don’t have to think about, like the digestive and cardiovascular systems. The nervous system is also responsible for your moods and your thoughts.

The somatic system ends sensory information to the central nervous system through peripheral nerve fibres. It sends the information coming from all your senses, touch, vision, hearing, taste, smell and position. It sends messages to motor nerve fibres to get the muscles to move the body.

The autonomic system in two parts the parasympathetic system and the sympathetic. The parasympathetic is responsible for making sure that all the automatic things that your body needs to do to keep you going, like breathing, digesting etc continue working smoothly without your having to think about them. The Sympathetic nervous system becomes more active when you are stressed. It is a part of the "fight or flight" response.

The Brain

The Brain stem is a part of your brain that controls many of the basic body functions that keep you alive. The brain stem is found at the base of the brain and is made up of three main parts: the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

• Your brain stem works as a bridge or relay station for messages travelling between different parts of your brain and messages travelling from your brain to the spinal cord. It also controls the movement of involuntary muscles i.e. your lungs, heart, and blood vessels etc
• It is the area of the brain that becomes particularly active during fight flight or freeze responses.

Cerebellum - This part of the brain deals with motor movement. It processes all the incoming motor messages from the nerves and figures out what to do with them. The cerebellum can learn motor movements with practice allowing us to learn to ride a bike or write or type etc.

• It continues to develop over the first years of life.
• Means young children are far more dependent on parents to meet needs 

The limbic system is a group of brain structures that are involved in various emotions such as aggression, fear, pleasure and also in the formation of memory. There are two important parts of this system...

• hippocampus: involved in the formation of long-term memory
• amygdala: involved in aggression and fear 

The cortex - The cerebral cortex is the most important part of the brain. ... Though this cannot be seen directly, different parts of the cortex have different functions. It plays a key role in memory, attention, perceptual awareness, thought, language, and consciousness.

• The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is the front part of the frontal lobes of the brain. It lies in front of the motor and premotor areas. This brain region helps plan complex cognitive behaviours, personality expression, and decision making. It helps correct social behaviour.

Early childhood and the brain

• The development of the brain is influenced by many factors, including a child’s relationships, experiences and environment.
• Nurturing care for the mind is critical for brain growth.
• Children grow and learn best in a safe environment where they are protected from neglect and from extreme or chronic stress with plenty of opportunities to play and explore.
• Exposure to stress and trauma can have long-term negative consequences for the child’s brain, whereas talking, reading, and playing can stimulate brain growth.
• Neglect in failure to meet the physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs of a child can have a significant impact on their development

What does this look like at school?

• Fight flight or freeze – low threshold for stress, behavioural responses at this stage are purely reflexive and under little conscious control by the student.
• Hyperarousal – aggressive and may hit out at people and or objects, need considerable time and careful support
• Oral language – will often be unable to use their words to explain themselves, miscommunication can occur
• Hypo-arousal – results in a freeze response, disassociate, sobbing crying for help, uncommunicative 

What can we do about it that works?

• Relationships – strategies to reinforce healthy neurological pathways supporting interpersonal interactions with adults, peers and self
• Emotional regulation – effective calming strategies for emotionally aroused students, ways to minimise a crisis, and healthy ways to address the crisis when it does arise.

Relationships

• Need for capable caring and informed teachers to support students
• Behaviour management systems will not work unless the relationships are there first
• Behaviour management systems that reinforce the trauma and insecure attachment issues will not work
• Groups work oral presentations, performance, team sports, games and busy playgrounds may cause anxiety
• Can cause confusion for teachers with overreactions to simply being close or a simple touch

Emotional regulation

• Schools need both proactive and reactive approaches to help the student to self regulate
• Not waiting until the student is in a calm state can be putting the student, themselves and others at risk
• Takes thirty minutes to come back to a calm state, and for older students longer
• Need to take into account that when calm, the student may not be able to communicate what is going on or what has happened due to their developmental delays and attachment issues

Six-element model for student support
1. Establish a strong support team – need to be resilient, willing to learn and to adapt their practice
2. Inform the team of the neuroscience and current research – reading web, and mental health services
3. Get to know and understand the student – discover key issues, what works what doesn’t, plans and practices need to reflect the students’ needs and their peculiarities.
4. Engage the support of the wider school community – whole staff support plans don’t work if some adults are unaware, unskilled or unsupported to in responding to a students’ emotional dysregulation.
5. Look after the people who are looking after the student, without support the teachers and other adults involved with the student burn out
6. Develop plans addressing relationships and emotional regulation-focused on the support process not merely a list of expected behaviours. Needs to be individualized and helps to teach and reinforce self-calming strategies as well as crisis management response.

Strategies and approaches

• Mentoring – is their significant person, focused on developing the skills in relating and managing stress responses. Works with calming and helping student to understand.
• Check in and check out – mentor, checks in before school breaks etc to see that the student has everything they need to cope with the day, can calm and preempt anything before it may happen
• Pick your battles – serious behaviours should be addressed carefully but avoid power struggles over lesser behaviours
• Using codes and symbols – communication systems helping to alleviate concerning behaviours while reinforcing positive relationships
• Scaling – assists in emotional regulation and student can identify and share how they are feeling at that time.
• Look for the gold in every child- finding the skills, knowledge or personal traits that they are good at
• Boundaries rules and consequences – need to develop self-control through boundaries, rules and expectations,
• A better way to manage detentions – try to create opportunities, for relating and teaching. Doing a particular activity with an adult who can help the student reflect on their behaviour and concerns around their behaviour, how to repair damage caused.
• Relational rewards, time with relationship building rewards
• Movement and rhythm activities – music, dance, drumming, ball bouncing etc
• Predictability – visual cues, timetables, consistency, repetition, timed warnings for the end of a lesson
• Helping students to relate to others – adults modelling and narrating social behaviour, needs plenty of opportunities and repeated practice. Crafts, inside games, soccer etc
• Social behaviours and physical contact – teach them about ways to interact appropriately

Crisis Management

• Need for proactive, reactive and reparative measures
• Safe space where they take part in low arousal activities, time to calm, left to self under the careful watch
• Physical restraint is last resort
• Time for the student to talk through what has happened with a focus on opportunities to learn from the crisis
• Time to debrief for mentor and teachers
• If suspensions or stand downs in place on return look at things with a fresh start approach rather than a prove yourself approach

Recognise difficulties with compliance for what they are… help them to experience the positive feeling and outcomes for being compliant. They need exposure to people wanting to be around them when compliant, teachers responding kindly, meaningful rewards. They are not used to this and noncompliance is associated with their attachment issues.