Kids Discover Success Therapeutics, LLC

Exploring the “why” of Behaviors

deb — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 17:34:19 +0000

Something to consider during the holiday season, when you and your child have the opportunity of time, is the exploring of behaviors. From all the books and articles I have read, one thing is certain. Children communicate through their behaviors.
If we are not attuned to this idea, we can make the mistake of being punitive. In moments of tension you and your child may be feeling too stressed to have a conversation. Give yourself time to take a breath. Think first if you can trust yourself to be present for your child in order to help them explore their feelings. Think secondly if there is an activity you both enjoy that allows you to create an atmosphere for a conversation. Asking your child how you can make things better may be a way to open the door for a conversation. Listen and validate their feelings. Provide assurance you want to help. Making suggestions and asking for ideas will show your child the love and acceptance of a nurturing relationship. Utilizing an activity you both enjoy can create a lasting positive memory of connection. These are a few examples:
Taking a walk or a drive together.
Playing Jenga together.
Coloring together.
Taking turns tossing candy into a container.
Going fishing together.
Flying a kite together.
Making cookies together.

Self Regulation for Children

deb — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:32:39 +0000

Self regulation or the energy to control yourself when coping with the stress of life is a core skill for everyone. A neuroscience term for self regulation is cortical modulation. We can “coach” ourselves into self control by problem solving the expectations of the environment and having an awareness of an appropriate coping technique that is socially acceptable. This happens in the cortex or upper part of the brain in adults.
Who is the coach for the child? We adults are! Children are dependent on adults as coaches for self regulation. An infant relies on an adult to relieve the stress of discomfort from loneliness, hunger, temperature, soiled pants, etc. when the adult is attuned to the child’s cues and provides the loving touch, voice, smile, and soothing movement that Dr. Bruce Perry refers as the “somatosensory bath”. This type of regulation is relationship dependent and forms the bonds of attachment. The infant’s regulation actually occurs in the lower parts of the brain vs. the cortex. An infant’s cortex is not fully matured so they do not have the capacity to calm themselves like adults. The lower parts of the brain receive the external sensory signals from the environment as well as the internal sensory signals. In this way infants develop trust in the adult caregiver. They feel secure and safe by the positive interaction. When this occurs repeatedly over time, especially in the first three years of life, a child develops the capacity to calm themselves by the ongoing interactive regulation by the caregiver. They also develop the internal feelings of positive regard for themselves.

Rock Around The Clock

deb — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 02:19:37 +0000

In many early childhood classrooms, a rocking chair is a familiar piece of furniture. It’s a place for the teacher to sit and share a story with a group of students while they sit on a carpet. Sometimes, a smaller, child-size rocking chair is in the classroom as a place for sitting and reading. The movement of rocking has been researched to impact a sense of calm as well as build the vestibular system, especially in the first year of life. The vestibular system provides a sense of balance and position in space.
When teachers and parents notice a child who rocks without being in a rocking chair, that may be a sign of a brain-based need that has yet to be fulfilled. Considering having a rocking chair in a classroom as a place for reading, even for older students, may benefit a life skill in establishing an appropriate method for self-regulation, (becoming calm), while enjoying the experience of reading.

Learning Readiness

deb — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 01:49:19 +0000

As teachers begin the school year, they are preparing classrooms and schedules that will introduce students to the routines of the school day. These routines will provide the consistency needed for children to feel safe and calm which promotes learning. When children feel unsafe, their brains are challenged to learn. Teachers can make a significant impact in helping children feel safe. Conveying a sense of calm is a first step. Go through your own check list in reaching that state of calm. Consider a few of these questions: Have I had enough sleep? Have I taken time for myself? Have I used forms of stress management?
When children observe an adult who can self-regulate, that promotes a sense of safety in the classroom. Then children are better able to learn.

Supporting Attention, Calming and Core Muscles

deb — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 01:10:47 +0000

Do your students have difficulty paying attention when sitting at their desks? Is it the time of day when students are ready for a change and need to turn their energy down? Have you noticed some students who have poor posture?
Consider having students spend some time on the floor, laying on their stomachs and engaging in an activity/lesson that lasts from ten to twenty minutes.

I have observed a kindergarten teacher who routinely has her students take clipboards, paper and markers after a circle time discussion and find a place in the room to lay on their tummies to draw and write. It’s consistently a quiet and focused atmosphere during that tummy time.
A third grade teacher has discovered that allowing flexibility for some students in her class, who are known to have difficulty focusing, instead of writing at their desks are able to lay on the floor on their stomachs with clipboards. The amount of work accomplished is amazing.

Engaging in an activity while on the stomach with the elbows aligned under the shoulders supporting the upper body promotes attention, calming and core muscles. This position has students working against gravity which can have a calming effect. The back muscles and the shoulders are getting a workout which helps in flexibility of the spine and promotes good posture. The distractions presented when sitting at a desk are decreased. The endurance for this position may vary among students. Poor muscle tone and strength may be observed if you see heads down or support provided more on forearms and elbows not below the shoulders after a few minutes. It may be a good idea to try an enjoyable activity such as coloring for tummy time to promote good engagement. The following activities may be considered for tummy time. If you routinely observe some students having difficulty in this position, seek the consult of an occupational therapist.

Tummy Golf
Have students in pairs or in a large enough circle being at least four feet away from each other’s faces when laying on their stomachs. Use a foam or light weight ball about the size of a softball. As a “golf club”, use paper towel tubes or plastic paddles. For the hole, use a plastic 6 inch ring from a ring toss game, or something the ball can easily roll into, and place it in the middle or between students. Students hold their tubes or paddles with both hands and gently push/putt the ball into the ring. This game increases the challenge to keep the upper body extended when both hands are holding the “golf club”. If four feet is too easy, lengthen the distance between students if you have the room.

More Tummy Time Ideas
*Building a puzzle
*Popping bubble pack
*Using Lite Brite
*Playing Connect 4
*Reading a book
*Using Tricky Fingers
*Building with small blocks

Changing Your Perspective on Behaviors

deb — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 01:35:30 +0000

It’s been quite a long time since my last post. What I’ve learned from my experiences since my last post is that a child’s behavior in the school setting can have deeper meanings than I ever considered before. Children who have experienced trauma may be impacted neurologically and they may have developmental needs as well as triggers that underlie behavior. Understanding a child’s developmental history is very important in understanding behavior. How a teacher builds a relationship with a child can make a significant impact in a child’s sense of safety and trust.

I’ve been discovering the use of sensory-based strategies used in a daily routine and within a relational context can become a path to healing. I’ve also discovered many other techniques that are helpful within a community-based setting as well as a school-based setting. Reducing seclusion and restraint within the school setting has become an important issue nationally. Each child is unique. Attempts to find the right combination of strategies takes time as well as coordination and communication with school staff, community resources, and family.

My goal is to begin sharing as much information as possible from what I’ve learned.

Penmanship Olympics

deb — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 03:11:39 +0000

Extend the olympic season by introducing bronze, silver and gold prize bags for meeting penmanship expectations. Students appear to be engaged when they can add up scores to see which bag they can pick a preferred “goodie”. Other incentive structures could be earning time with favorite activities, lunch with the teacher or a “special” job in the class.

The very basics of legible penmanship are divided into five categories:
1. Letters sit on the baseline.
2. Tall letters are formed from the top line to the baseline: b, d, f, h, l, t, k
3. Tail letters have a tail that goes below the baseline: g, j, p, q, y
4. Small letters fit from the mid-line to the baseline: a, c, e, i, m, n, o, r, s, u, v, w, x, z
5. Letters in a word almost touch.

Give plenty of time for students to become aware of these expectations. Frequent modeling is very important in teaching the expectations. Using writing resources with a mid-line helps many students estimate the size of small letters. Some dry-erase boards and teaching easel paper pads come pre-printed with a mid-line. I have observed some teachers who leave out letters on purpose with sight words or spelling words for students to come up and fill in during teaching or review demonstrations.

To isolate the skill of printing, penmanship olympics can be done with spelling or sight words spelled aloud by the teacher. Each expectation is worth two points. Each word can be worth up to ten points if it contains all three types of letters. For example the sight word “the” has two types of letters (eight points total). If all three letters sit on the baseline, two points. If two sit, one point. If the “t” is too far from the “he”, one point. You will need to determine, based on the grade level of students and background they have in printing instruction and time to practice formations, how subjective you award points. If students have no trouble counting up to one hundred, seventy to eighty is a pick from bronze; eighty one to ninety is a pick from silver, and ninety-one to one hundred is a pick from gold. Be flexible and have fun with the activity!

Shoe Tying Using Two Bunny Loops

deb — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:32:21 +0000

The following video clip will demonstrate how to tie a shoe using a method of two bunny loops in six steps. There is no sound in order for some students, who can process information from one sensory mode at a time, to watch and try to imitate the steps. You can slow the process down using a shoe with pipe cleaners secured to the top holes for the shoe laces or intertwine a pipe cleaner with each shoe lace that is freed up after lacing the shoe. Students may need extra guidance to determine which lace to place under the “X” if they are right or left handed. Check that your student understands concepts of what the letter X looks like, and the words “cross”, “under” and “bottom”.

Here are the six steps:
1. Cross the laces to make an “X”.
2. Put one lace under the bottom of the “X”.
3. Pull the two laces which makes the “X” disappear.
4. Fold each lace in half. You will have two bunny loops. Pinch them close to the bottom.
5. Cross the two bunny loops and pinch the place they cross with one hand. You should be able to see a new “X” that is formed.
6. Put one bunny loop under the “X” and pull both loops to make the “X” disappear.

Supporting Attention, Calming and Core Muscles

deb — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:52:32 +0000

More Tummy Time Ideas
*Building a puzzle
*Popping bubble pack
*Using Lite Brite
*Playing Connect 4
*Reading a book
*Using Tricky Fingers
*Building with small blocks

Memory Manipulation and Learning the ABC’s

deb — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 08:44:30 +0000

Learning the ABC’s in the early childhood years can be a fun experience when students discover meaningful connections to letters. For example, students get connected to letters through their name, favorite animals, plants, colors, shapes, foods, and themes within the curriculum.

Creating multi-sensory novel experiences in the process of learning letters can stimulate more brain areas for recall. When students can do more than draw lines on a worksheet to match letters or color the picture that begins with a letter, they can increase opportunities for success.

Here are some ideas I’ve tried with students who are stronger “hands on” learners. It may be more practical to do these activities in small groups:

*Use small cubes or blocks in which some have letters and others have an animal or bug. For example, to learn the letter “L”, I placed L stickers from the craft store on five blocks and ladybug stickers on another five blocks. Building a tower with a pattern of L’s and ladybugs can be a novel way to learn. Add a challenge by using tongs to pick up the cubes! (See photo)

*Use dominoes and heavy card stock with half inch lines drawn in a sequential placement that represents the letter. The student holds the end of each domino and carefully places it on a line in a pattern that forms the letter. The fun part is knocking them down and trying again.

*Hide letter beads from the craft store in clay or playdough. Students can match their “buried treasure” beads to labed cups.

*If your school has a die cut machine, letters can be cut on heavy card stock. Then, hole punch the letters and let students sew them like sewing cards.

*Take wood or foam letters matched to small objects whose name begins with that letter, for example a wood letter “T” and a small toy turtle, a tiger and a train. Show the student the letter and the objects, then hide one in some way (behind your back) and present the letters and objects again, asking the student to remember what’s missing.