Regulation Rendezvous: Self-Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

We know that this time of quarantine has been difficult to manage for so many. It can be easy to become overwhelmed with the ever-changing demands of remote learning, managing family needs, and keeping everyone safe and healthy. It is important though to provide care for yourself so that you can provide for others. In today’s Regulation Rendezvous we will be sharing ideas for Self-Care during the Coronavirus Pandemic. 

We love this graphic from Pathway 2 Success which provides some great ways to proactively take care of yourself during the pandemic. Sometimes you may get so wrapped up in troubleshooting everything that is making life challenging that it can be hard to make time to do something that makes you feel good. But thoughtfully making time for self-care strategies will help to keep your body and mind healthy. 

But what do you do when you start to feel overwhelmed? This is a natural feeling for everyone during these stressful times no matter how proactive you try to be. First, be kind to yourself! Acknowledge your feelings of overwhelm and be mindful in your response. Save this great free poster from Whole Hearted School Counseling where you can easily access it when you need to take a moment to reflect on how you are feeling. 

Regular practice of self-care strategies makes it easier for you to apply these strategies when feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Check out our previous posts for strategies to try:

Breathing to Relax

Calming Input

Exercise

Apps are another great way to keep track of changing emotions and to easily find self-care strategies such as breathing or meditation. Click on the images below to learn more about some of our favorite self-care apps:

Youper

Mindshift CBT

Welltrack

Moodpath

Self-Help for Anxiety Management

ALIST Spotlight- Jackie Renegado, MCESC

The Autism and Low-Incidence Coaching Team had the pleasure of working with MCESC Occupational Therapist Jackie Renegado when she was working at MCESC Learning Center West in 2014. At that time our team was so impressed with Jackie’s ability to advocate for her educational team, prioritize sensory modulation in meeting student needs, and leadership in creating fantastic sensory rooms at LC-West. For these reasons, Jackie was nominated for our A-LIST (Autism and Low-Incidence Support Team).

Since becoming a member of our A-LIST, Jackie has continued to serve MCESC in a new capacity as a Social Emotional Specialist. Jackie shared that the goal of the MCESC SEL Program is to help organizations create trauma informed/integrated social emotional learning environments where ALL students and staff feel safe and supported, where relationships become the driving force to heal and build resilience and where social emotional learning can be a center of focus. 

Current Role

Specifically her role includes supervision of MCESC SEL consultants assigned to area districts, leading professional development, and consulting with school district teams to create TI/SEL systems. 

The work of Jackie’s team is guided by:

1. The National Council for Behavioral Health
2.  The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
3. The Neuroscience work of Dr. Perry and the Child Trauma Academy.   

Governor DeWine’s Pediatric  Mental Health Summit on Trauma Informed Schools
facilitated by Oh Education Supt Paolo DMaria (Sept 2019)

Strategies

Jackie shares that TI/SEL systems center around implementation of strong foundational tier 1 whole child supports such as: 

1. Nurturing and responsive environments that focus on stress management/calming the stress response system
• Examples:  meeting basic physiological needs, supporting sensory systems, implement mindfulness/breathing techniques, using rhythmic repetitive movements, and establishing clear expectations with visual supports

2. Creating attuned relationships and connections between adults/adults, adults/students, and students/students
• Examples: restorative practices, community building circles, student voice/surveys, greetings, check-in/outs, and co-regulation

3. Modeling/teaching the CASEL SEL competencies  of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationships, and responsibility decision making through implicit/explicit teaching of the ohio state standards

·         Examples: SELLA, Zones of Regulation, Second Step, emotion wheels, upstairs/downstairs brain

Student Population

Trauma informed/SEL integrated systems are not just for students who are currently experiencing or have experienced adversity or trauma.  Jackie explains that this framework develops skills necessary to build resiliency so that individuals are prepared to face future adverse situations. 

   

We are so excited to see a member of our A-LIST go on to advocate for students in a new position in such powerful ways. Congratulations, Jackie!

Regulation Rendezvous-- Top 3 Tips for Generalizing the Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation is a popular self-management curriculum that we see implemented with many of the student's we coach. In addition to teaching the curriculum from the book, it is important to plan for how the skills taught will be generalized into the daily routine so that students can apply what they have learned. Today's Regulation Rendezvous focuses on our Top 3 Tips for Generalizing the Zones of Regulation.

1. Use Visual Supports
Visual supports are an effective way to help students remember the different zones and what emotions can fall into each zone. Have these visuals posted in a location that is easily accessible for regular review and easy reference.

Ashley Minnich
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Kelly Moberly
Montgomery County ESC Learning Center- East

Montgomery County ESC Learning Center- East

Leah Kuypers
Zones of Regulation

2. Proactively Plan Check-Ins
One of the simplest ways to generalize the application of the Zones of Regulation is through proactively scheduling check-ins throughout the day for students to practice identifying which zone they are in and practice choosing and using a tool. Deliberate practice is a great way to increase familiarity and build fluency.

A common challenge that teams face is that the Zones of Regulation can sometimes develop a negative association which is often the result of using the check-in reactively when the student is already struggling to manage their emotions. Proactively planning for this practice can prevent these negative associations from occurring which leads to the student becoming more accepting of using the Zones of Regulation during these difficult moments.

We recommend scheduling check-ins at least once in the morning and once in the afternoon. For some, check-ins may need to occur more frequently to include check-ins after every big transition (arrival, recess, specials, lunch, inclusion, etc) or even as frequently as once per period/subject. Use data and anecdotal information to determine how frequently students need to check-in and practice use of their tools.

Lynn York
Kleptz ELC, Northmont

Leslie Mann
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Pam Ellender
Mad River Middle School, Mad River

Emily Ottmar
Brantwood Elementary, Mad River

Abigail Espinal
Twin Valley South

Marie Reikowski
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Bethany Talley
Greene County ESC

Ruthann Hill
Indian Valley Intermediate, Enon

Kelly Moberly
Montgomery County ESC Learning Center- East

3. Develop Individualized Toolboxes 
The tools that may be most effective for each child can vary greatly depending on individual needs. It is important that the team (occupational therapist, intervention specialist, teachers, paraprofessionals, etc) works together to find which supports work best for a particular student. Involve the student in choosing tools they want to trial and allow ample opportunities for proactive practice using each tool. This deliberate practice is critical because if a student is not fluent in using the tool, then it can add to the frustration of a difficult moment during the generalization process.

Once the student has selected tools that work for them, create a toolbox of strategies that can be readily accessed at any time.

Leah Kuypers
Zones of Regulation

Leslie Mann
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Leah Kuypers
Zones of Regulation

Natalie Griffen
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Leah Kuypers
Zones of Regulation

Therese Garison
Helke Elementary, Vandalia

For more ideas related to implementation of the Zones of Regulation, check out our previous post:

Regulation Rendezvous- Zones of Regulation

*Adapted/Expanded by MCESC ACT, based on the original work, The Zones of Regulation™ Curriculum by Leah Kuypers 2011, ©Think Social Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.socialthinking.com. www.zonesofregulation.com Materials and images are not for public distribution.

Executive Functioning Forum-- Problem Solving

Problem Solving is a complex skill that can be challenging for many students, especially those with trouble managing their executive function and emotional regulation skills. They may not realize there is a problem that needs solved or they may have difficulty entertaining more than one possible solution. They may have a tendency to focus on one aspect of a problem, to the exclusion of other components. Sometimes this includes and inability to identify the most important parts of the problem. Furthermore, they may hyper-focus on the problem even after it has been solved and may be resistant to asking for help from others. Also, they have a tendency to become “stuck” on one solution and won’t try other possible strategies. They have difficulty generalizing skills and knowledge to other situations and environments. Today's Executive Functioning Forum provides a variety of strategies for addressing these deficits through direct instruction of problem solving skills. 

Teach Students to Ask for Help
In the earliest stages of problem solving, students may need to learn to ask for help so that someone can help walk them through the problem and possible solutions. Provide a routine, predictable way for them to ask for help and provide opportunities for practice. Help them to understand when they are feeling overwhelmed or confused they should initiate asking for help. Incorporate visual supports and reinforce their willingness to accept help.

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Jamie Minnish
Prass Elementary, Kettering

Practice a Calming Strategy
It is difficult to problem solve when feelings of anxiety and frustration take over. Directly teach and deliberately practice calming strategies that students can use in the moment to help them calm down before proceeding with their problem solving techniques.  

Elisha Volp
Northridge Elementary, Northeastern

Marie Reikowski
Demmitt Elementary, Vandalia

Laurie Maravetz
Schaefer Middle School, Springfield

Help Students See Their Options
Use visual supports to help students see what their options for solving the problem may be and the consequences of each choice. Initially you may focus on a positive (green) and negative (red) option and gradually expand upon the options to include all of the possible solutions and consequences. Use visual supports to illustrate this thought process and to provide the information in a familiar, predictable way. Later the strategy of thinking through possible solutions can be done more independently with a blank visual support. 

Taylor Ruef
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Emily Ottmar
Stevenson Elementary, Mad River

Teach Students to Think About Their Thinking
Metacognition is the awareness and understanding of one's own though processes. For students who struggle with executive functioning, metacognition can be especially difficult. Model your own thought processes and provide questions that help students to thinking about their thinking. 

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Bring It All Together
Once students have been taught these processes in isolation, bring them all together through use of a cumulative visual support that can be used for priming them before challenging situations and that they can use in the moment to help them work through a problem.

FLIPP The Switch: Strengthen Executive Functioning Skills

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

adapted from Successful Problem-Solving for High-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

For more ideas on meeting the needs of students with executive functioning difficulties, check out our previous Executive Functioning Forum posts. 

Planning and Organization

Attention and Impulse Control

Memory
Emotional Regulation
Flexible Thinking