News From Your School Psychologist
OCTOBER 2020: ATTENTION AND IMPULSE CONTROL
Attention
Let them Fidget and Rethink Seating
Wobble Chair
Resistance Fidget Bands
Standing Desk
Fidget Rules-A social Story for Kids
Check out this great resource from The Calming Corner to teach the Do's and Don'ts of Fidgets.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1gj1BS6a6PtDTAXkc8qhL262WcdfDoXaKG33YcvkkJmU/edit?usp=sharing
Suprising but True--Average Attention Span
So...how do we "teach" kids to pay attention?
Here are 4 kid friendly approaches to teach the concept of "paying attention"
1. Second Step Posters
2. Whole Body Listening
3.Video Modeling
Please email me if you would like links to more videos on a given social skill!
https://slp.everydayspeech.com/video/following-directions-steps/NNJOEreqb1HP08I9jwIC
4. MEET BRAINEATER: Refer to a character/code word to alert your child that they are distracted
Watch the slide below with your child to learn more...
Types of Distractors
Strategies to Defeat Braineater
Procrastination
-Empathize that sometimes you don't feel like doing your work or your chores either
-Take a minute to imagine what would happen if you just stopped doing these things because they weren't fun
-use graphic organizers, sentence starters, or lined paper to structure writing tasks
-Figure out what part they need help on and arrange for teacher or parent to help
Task Initiation Tips
Why is attention impacting remote learners so much?
Well, after I've conducted classroom observations via virtual means and in-person, I've come to the following realizations.
1. Children’s learning is usually supported by watching others work, following along with the group, and asking teachers or friends for help. Without this structure and support, children with attention problems may feel lost, confused, and disoriented, and thus experience even less drive to engage in their work, and be more likely to avoid it.
2. Stress, anxiety, and trauma are factors that work against attention. During a global pandemic, every household is dealing with these factors.
3. Developmentally most K-2 cannot read fluently enough to understand written directions.
4. Developmentally, most K-2 students cannot type proficiently or understand the technology required to troubleshoot internet and technology glitches.
5. Children don't have the self regulation skills to self motivate and sustain attention for learning
6. No In-Person Help With Refocusing----At school, the teacher can refocus students with a hand on the shoulder or a quiet reminder. Classmates asking or answering a question can bring attention back to the lesson or activity. But those things don’t exist in the same way if students drift off at home.
7. When remote, teachers cannot really see kid's screens. Kids may look busy and focused, but they may be doodling a picture on the screen instead of doing their math or reading work. When in person, teachers walk up to the student and notice right away and may say, "Is that what you are supposed to be doing right now?" In person, only a few minutes may be wasted doing the "off task" behavior versus a longer chunk of time when doing e-learning.
8. No Change in Scenery or Built-in Breaks----Staying in one place all day can make it hard to stay focused during distance learning. Students get built-in breaks in regular school. Recess, gym, music or art class, and even changing from room to room let students recharge.
9. There is less of a stigma for doing "unexpected behavior." Kids don't feel like other kids can see when they are doing other things.
10. The temptation to multitask is super hard to resist. When kids are muted or engaged in listening tasks on the computer, it is more tempting to open up other tabs or play games and do something they desire.
Movement promotes learning
Excerpt from The Atlantic Magazine
Vanessa Durand, a pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, says, "freedom of movement is necessary for children to meet their developmental milestones: “Children learn by experiencing their world using all of their senses. The restriction of movement, especially at a young age, impedes the experiential learning process.”
Movement allows kids to connection concepts and to learn through trial and error. “If you walk into a good kindergarten class, everyone is moving. The teacher is moving. There are structured activities, but generally it is about purposeful movement,”comments Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a professor emerita of early-childhood education at Lesley University and the author of Taking Back Childhood, describing the ideal classroom setup. In the classroom culture she advocates for, “[Kids] are getting materials for an activity, they are going back and deciding what else they need for what they want to create, seeing how the shape of a block in relation to another block works, whether they need more, does it balance, does it need to be higher, is it symmetrical. All of these math concepts are unfolding while kids are actively building and moving.”
For full article
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/05/why-young-kids-learn-through-movement/483408/
Analyze your child's learning environment
I look pretty focused right? See if you can find potential Braineaters....There are at least 5!
Nothing Works! What should I do?
A "Colorful" Intervention
Reasons Kids Calm Down Coloring
With the weather changing and more time indoors, consider a coloring break or coloring as a family before bed. It has more benefits than you think!
Coloring leads kids to focus. Because children want to complete the coloring page to the best of their abilities, they zone out everything else around them. But because it isn’t quite like the pressure that they often feel at school or doing a chore, they respond to the demand to focus entirely, feeling no tension.
Coloring requires hand-eye coordination. The simple act of holding a crayon and coloring within the lines is an act that demands their physical concentration as they strengthen their fine motor skills. (Of course in keeping coloring stress free, coloring outside of the lines is also encouraged.)
Color affects the brain, mood, and emotions. Some colors evoke a relaxation response while others motivate. A child can go from sad to glad within minutes of coloring by choosing mood changing happy colors. One study explored changing the colors on the walls of a classroom. Teachers reported that the children’s behavior improved. The students were more attentive and less fidgety.
Coloring is a mindful practice. We keep hearing that we can reduce stress by practicing mindfulness. Mindfulness can help “re-wire your brain,” says Melanie Greenberg, PhD, a clinical psychologist. Coloring is one of the easiest ways for children to experience this intangible concept of being mindful. Adults too!
Coloring mimics meditation. One of the greatest challenges novice meditators face is to stop the brain chatter. Dr. Rodski, a neuropsychologist, told Medical Daily that coloring elicits a relaxing mindset, similar to what you would achieve through meditation. This is easily achieved while coloring.
Coloring is calming. Using advanced technology, Dr. Rodski was able to see the physical effects that coloring has on the body. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that “the most amazing things occurred — we started seeing changes in heart rate, changes in brainwaves.” These neurological responses came from the repetition and concentration to patterns and detail associated with coloring.
Coloring increases joy. The act of coloring has the power to replace negative feelings with positivity. Because coloring is such a joyful activity, there’s little room to entertain fear based or negative thoughts. Kids calm down coloring almost instantly, freeing themselves with joyful thoughts and a sense of accomplishment. Their self-esteem gets a boost.
Revisiting the Brain
Sprague School Calm Down Kit
Expected Zoom Behaviors
Tuning in--Attention and social effects
Students who have difficulty noticing and recognizing what is going on in their environment often also display difficulty behaving in ways that are appropriate for a given situation. If a student is unable to self-monitor and make sure their actions fit the current situation they are in, it can cause the people around them to feel uncomfortable, confused, or upset. Use the concept of Tuning In to teach students how to notice and be aware of their environment and then decide how to act based on that awareness. By practicing Tuning In to a situation, students are learning to pay attention not only to where they are and who is there, but also their own actions and how those actions might affect those around them.
Tuning In Video
Impulse Control
1. What will happen if I do this?
2. Will I regret this?
3. What will others think about my actions?
Sometimes, it helps to tell kids to put on their "future goggles," and imagine what will happen if they do something...
Book Corner
The Power To Choose Series
Summary
"What Should Danny Do? is an innovative, interactive book that empowers kids with the understanding that their choices will shape their days, and ultimately their lives into what they will be. Written in a "Choose Your Own Story" style, the book follows Danny, a Superhero-in-Training, through his day as he encounters choices that kids face on a daily basis. As your children navigate through the different story lines, they will begin to realize that their choices for Danny shaped his day into what it became. And in turn, their choices for themselves will shape their days, and ultimately their lives, into what they will be."
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Contact Me
Email: selbaum@d103.org
Phone: 847-634-6463