What does sensory dysreguation look like? How do I know if my child is dysregulated?

It will often appear that your child is being "bad", or not listening to you when you ask them to stop their behavior. When a child reaches sensory dysregulation and you try to snap them out of it, they’ll respond with a fight or flight reaction. That means they’re going to have a meltdown, possibly get aggressive, run away, or freeze.

As soon as a child needs some sensory input or needs to avoid some sensory input and can't, they're technically dysregulated because their sensory system is out of balance. Many kids will make tiny tweaks to get the sensory input they need and put themselves back into regulation.

Sensory needs and the way your child responds to dysregulation can vary greatly. The following are examples of what children may do when dysregulated:

• Seek semi-dangerous or even dangerous vestibular and proprioceptive input by rough-housing with siblings, jumping off furniture, and diving and sliding on hardwood floor

• Seek excessive tactile stimulation they may find comforting, like petting or rubbing a soft blanket or stuffed animal on their face and hands, and excessively touching a parent or sibling

• Avoid loud noises in the home, like a sibling crying or music playing, by hiding in a closet, covering their ears, or using noise cancelling headphones

• Seek deep pressure for oral motor/proprioception by chewing straws, the top of a pencil, or their own shirt

How can parents help when their children are dysregulated?

What does research say about sensory regulation and learning?

Kids can be easily distracted, but regular, short breaks can help to increase productivity, focus, and reduce their levels of stress. From short-breaks (i.e. 1 minute dance break) to long breaks (i.e. 30 minutes running and playing in the park), these movement opportunities help our children develop creativity and social skills, as well as provide a "break" for their brains to re-organize and retain information they have learned throughout the day.

In a 2016 study, psychologist Karrie Godwin and a team of researchers measured how attentive elementary students were during class, and discovered that they spent over a quarter of the time distracted, unable to focus on the teacher or the current task. Shorter lessons, however, kept student attention high: teachers found it more effective to give several 10-minute lessons instead of fewer 30-minute ones (research article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959475216300275#!).

Are there any additional things to keep in mind when incorporating brain breaks during distance learning?

The best way to use these brain breaks to help organize the brain and prepare for learning and attending to tasks is by engaging in midline crossing activities. Crossing the midline is when we move our arm or leg across the middle of our body to perform a task. Crossing the midline is vital to the development of using both sides of the body together, such as putting on shoes and socks, writing, and cutting. It promotes the coordination and communication of the left and right hemispheres of the brain. It also encourages bilateral coordination, the process of developing a dominant hand and development of fine motor skills. Some great midline crossing brain breaks include Brain Gym and Drive Thru Menu exercises.

Use the Attention exercises for energizing and before starting school work. Use the Relaxation exercises for when the child is overstimulated, before bedtime, and transitioning between activities. These can help PREVENT children from becoming dysregulated, as well as get them back to baseline.

Tips for Creating and Using a Calm Down Space

• Find a small, private space that can be easily accessed by your child when they need to take a break, calm down, or be away from others.

• Have your child(ren) help create the space by choosing blankets, pillows, stuffed animals that help them feel safe and secure. If they are included in planning and creation, they are more likely to use it! They can also select small hand-held toys to put there to keep their fingers busy, which will engage their brains too.

• Place supports for feeling identification or reminders of coping strategies close by (e.g. printed out breathing visuals, hand-drawn feeling faces or strategies by the children themselves, etc.)

• A calm down bottle can be a fun activity, but also a resource for focusing on the present.

• It might feel silly, but model what exactly you want the child to do in using the calm down corner while everyone is calm (not when anyone actually should be using it). Start with a typical situation where your child might have trouble regulating themselves, pretend to be them and talk out loud what they should do and practice in front of them. Then, have your child practice and give them feedback.

• Make sure to prompt them to use the calm down space, and provide reinforcement for doing so (afterwards, give them praise, sticker, etc.) if they need the extra motivation.

• All of these things to keep in mind when creating a calm down space also apply to older children - help them find a private quiet space they can use when they need to, and have them make it comfortable. You can still have preferred items and cues with strategies to relax, but it may include use of a mindfulness app or youtube video.