ABI Updates
Notes from the Autism and Behavior Interventionist
December 2019
This month:
- Brain Breaks
- Ways to Calm an Anxious Child
- Pocket App
- The Teacher Self-Care Podcast
- Good Reads - The IDOE Social Emotional Learning Toolkit
Brain Breaks
- Woosh, Bang, Pow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxwXhjg4D_U
- Double This https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4ea2GmBqFo
5-4-3-2-1: give the students a set of exercises, eg 5 jumping jacks, 4 toe touches, 3 side bends, 2 arm circles, 1 hop.
Rhythmic Jumping Jacks: Have students do jumping jacks but in rhythm to your counting or a metronome
Funny Jacks: (courtesy of Charity Rodgers!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_HBozRBlcE
Would you rather: survey the students responses to certain situations dealing with the curriculum or answers to multiple choice questions (answer a in this corner, answer b in this corner for example)
Rings and Bracelets: a good handwriting warm up, students use one hand to “massage” down each finger like they are putting on a very tight ring, then squeeze entire hand with opposite hand like putting on a tight bracelet
Move It: have students move from one part of the room to another to answer questions, moving in a particular way, or jump for A/hands on your head for B
Pencil Jump: have students place their pencil on the floor beside them and jump over with both feet, split feet, etc
Cross Crawl: students raise one knee and touch with the opposite hand, repeat with the other leg. Can also try to touch elbow to knee, or cross behind back, touching one foot behind your back with the opposite hand
Wiggle Set: have students bounce, wiggle, or shake until you give a certain signal, until you say a certain word, until a certain answer is given
Figure 8: students hold their thumb up, with arm stretched out straight in front. have them “trace” a sideways figure eight (eternity symbol) in the air and follow their thumb with both eyes.
The Wave: have students do the wave through your classroom, one row at a time
Squeeze and Relax: have students squeeze certain muscles and then relax
Beats: have students clap, snap or stomp a certain beat back to you, have them jump or reach to your beat
Monster Mash: have students stomp feet in a pattern. For example: with left foot stomp 4 times forward, four to the left side, four to the back, cross over and stomp four times to the right
- Gallery Walk: hang large pieces of paper on the wall at varying heights with questions for students to answer/draw
kick a field goal
shoot a jump shot
run through tires
swing a bat
serve a tennis ball
downhill skiing
spike a volleyball
swing a golf club
throw a football
shoot an arrow
shoot a hockey puck
swim
Take a Seat!: Have students stand up and pull their chairs away from their desks. They should stand in front of their chair (seat facing out). Have students quickly sit, then stand, sit then stand 8-10 times. Next, quickly repeat sitting halfway down and standing, repeating 8-10 times. Last, have students barely sit (just touching the chair) and stand quickly repeating 8-10 times.
7 Ways to Calm an Anxious Child
Adapted from 10 Surprising Wayst to Help andAnxious Child Calm Down by Erin Leyba, LCSW, PhD; Psychology Today; March 24, 2019.
Ever been at a loss as to how to help a child when he/she is anxious? When kids are anxious, they often experience a fight, flight, or freeze response, which is a physiological reaction in response to something they perceive as scary. Anxious kids may scream, shake, run away, be especially quiet, act silly, hide, cling, have tantrums, or act out to avoid a stressful environment or event.
At times, we might make the mistake of trying to reason with kids or talk them out of their fears (without first addressing the acute physiological factors at play). We may say things like "calm down," "stop crying," or "try to be brave now." Because anxiety can look like defiance or acting out (e.g. running out of the room), we may even punish anxious kids or give them time-outs.
However, brain research suggests that it's extremely difficult (if not impossible) for kids to think with logic or control their behavior until they step out of fight/flight/freeze mode. Here are 7 science-based ways to gently help children calm down, regain a sense of safety, and manage their anxiety.
1. Stimulate the Vagus Nerve
Stimulating a child’s vagus nerve (located on both sides of the voice box) can interrupt fight or flight mode and send a signal to his/her brain that “he/she is not under attack”.
Ways to stimulate the vagus nerve include:
Chew gum
Sing or hum
Breathe slowly– with roughly equal amounts of time breathing in and out
Eat a piece of dark chocolate
Gargle with regular water
2. Breathe
When kids are anxious, they tend to take rapid, shallow breaths that come directly from the chest. Taking slower, deeper breaths (from the abdomen or diaphragm) can relax them.
Try having kids:
Blow bubbles
Blow into a pinwheel
Slowly blow out “candles” on your fingertips
Have a whistling contest
Imagine that with each breath she takes in, her body becomes filled slowly with a soothing color, aroma, sound, light, or warmth
Breathe in for three, hold for three, out for three
Breathe “in through the nose, out through the mouth”
3. Cross the Midline
Crossing the midline, or moving one's hands, feet, and eyes across and to the other side of the body can help reset the brain.
Research suggests that when you move your arms or legs across the center of your body, the brain hemispheres are activated and work together so you can think with both logic and emotion.
Try:
Cross marches: child marches in place while touching their opposite knee (right arm to left knee)
Windmills have child reach out to the side with their arms straight; then pretend that they are a windmill by moving their arms in a circle while crossing across the middle of their body
Wipe the table with one hand
Walk-in figure eight draw a large side-to-side figure eight with sidewalk chalk for your child and have he/she walk the figure eight
4. Heavy Work
Heavy work activities (any activities that push or pull against the body) provide input to a child's muscles and joints, increase a child's focus and attention, and center a child. Doing wall pushups, carrying a backpack, pushing a cart, pulling on exercise band, using putty, carrying a pile of books, or pulling a wagon, can help kids calm and regulate their emotions.
5. Narrow Focus - research suggests that narrowing focus can help children relax.
Use the Grounding Exercise below to help an anxious student bring their focus back to the present. When kids are anxious, have them imagine their happy place. Kids may also narrow their focus by coloring, or playing with a calm down jar or a glitter wand
6. Make a Plan
Making a plan (MAP) or My Anxiety Plan (MAP) can help the child learn how to tolerate rather than eliminate anxiety. One child worried about thunderstorms when her mother was out of town for work. The girl made a plan to text her mom and to string a necklace out of plastic beads with her babysitter whenever she heard thunder. (She called these her “thunder beads” and eventually looked forward to making them). Another child starting with a new baseball team made a plan that if he got anxious, he would chew gum and take a break by walking to the bathroom and back.
7. Use a Ritual – Before/After/During
Research suggests that rituals act as "stability anchors" that help kids relieve stress. Consider providing a consistent ritual or choice before, during, or after an anxiety-provoking situation. One parent kept a stash of Superman comic books for her child to read at the doctor's office. Another took his child for a slushy after every tough appointment. A nurse in a blood draw clinic had children choose a silly shirt and hat to dress a large stuffed gorilla before a visit. Another nurse had them pick a joke out of a jar of paper strips to tell her when they came in. Another had children “be the DJ” and choose one of six CDs to play. Rituals help kids feel a sense of control over tough situations.
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Pocket App
Great Reads!
The Teacher Self-Care Podcast
Teacher's Winter Break Choice Board
We all know visuals help support expected behavior. I hope you all are able to enjoy a well-deserved break that includes some of the activities below! ;)
Thank you for all that you do for students and Happy Holidays to you all!
Contact Me
Danville Community Middle School