WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.680 Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education 00:00:02.680 --> 00:00:06.160 teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:09.119 communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson 00:00:09.119 --> 00:00:11.660 ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged 00:00:11.660 --> 00:00:15.300 4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in 00:00:15.300 --> 00:00:17.640 the field answering your questions and sharing 00:00:17.640 --> 00:00:19.559 our knowledge and experience working alongside 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:22.539 our beautiful young people. Let's get started. 00:00:27.500 --> 00:00:30.260 Hello everybody and welcome to the Sensory Classroom 00:00:30.260 --> 00:00:33.240 podcast. My name is Jordan and today I'm joined 00:00:33.240 --> 00:00:35.759 by a friend that you may recognize. It's Ali 00:00:35.759 --> 00:00:39.460 Neal from episode 39 and she is here to talk 00:00:39.460 --> 00:00:41.979 on behalf of herself and Laura Graham about, 00:00:42.060 --> 00:00:44.799 yes, occupational therapy, but about a new system 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.679 they have developed to a five -step approach. 00:00:49.420 --> 00:00:51.960 to whole class and school regulation. And I know 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:54.140 nothing more than that. So I'm really intrigued 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:57.079 to learn alongside you today with Ali. Hi, Ali. 00:00:57.560 --> 00:01:00.320 Hi, Jordan. Thank you very much for having me 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.060 back today. Oh, so welcome. It's been a little 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.959 while since episode 39. So I wonder if you could 00:01:05.959 --> 00:01:08.560 give us a little introduction into you and your 00:01:08.560 --> 00:01:12.359 practice. Certainly. So I'm Ali Neal. I'm an 00:01:12.359 --> 00:01:15.739 occupational therapist. I've been an OT for... 00:01:16.030 --> 00:01:18.849 It's over 30 years now, which is time to make 00:01:18.849 --> 00:01:20.989 me sound really, really old. So I'm not sure 00:01:20.989 --> 00:01:23.370 I want to mention that. Or wise. Old or wise. 00:01:23.750 --> 00:01:26.129 Old and wise. Let's go old and wise. Yes. Been 00:01:26.129 --> 00:01:28.090 there, seen it. I've done all the usual sort 00:01:28.090 --> 00:01:31.230 of NHS stuff before, but for the last 15 years, 00:01:31.409 --> 00:01:33.709 I've been working on my own. I set up my own 00:01:33.709 --> 00:01:36.890 company. And initially, there's a small team 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:40.420 that work with me. We are supporting. children 00:01:40.420 --> 00:01:44.060 in schools, in homes, with their families throughout 00:01:44.060 --> 00:01:47.459 the Midlands. But do you know what? COVID was 00:01:47.459 --> 00:01:50.060 a terrible time, but there were... The odd good 00:01:50.060 --> 00:01:52.180 thing that came out of it, and one of the things 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:54.200 that came out of it for me, was that I started 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:57.260 doing some online work to try and support people 00:01:57.260 --> 00:01:59.640 while we weren't able to go out and do face -to 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:02.439 -face work. And that developed into an online 00:02:02.439 --> 00:02:05.519 training business that I now run, particularly 00:02:05.519 --> 00:02:09.159 for anyone involved with education. So teachers, 00:02:09.300 --> 00:02:12.099 SENCOs, teaching assistants, but also anyone 00:02:12.099 --> 00:02:14.099 else that works within the school environment. 00:02:15.150 --> 00:02:18.409 alternative provisions, EOTAS, any of that. So 00:02:18.409 --> 00:02:20.449 speech and language therapists, other occupational 00:02:20.449 --> 00:02:23.490 therapists, psychologists, anyone else that's 00:02:23.490 --> 00:02:27.090 involved. And I provide online training around 00:02:27.090 --> 00:02:30.229 all OT related topics, but particularly sensory 00:02:30.229 --> 00:02:33.590 processing, because actually that is my personal 00:02:33.590 --> 00:02:36.050 favourite topic. I think I'm a bit of a real 00:02:36.050 --> 00:02:39.560 sensory geek. I absolutely love it. But it also 00:02:39.560 --> 00:02:42.539 seems to be the real hot potato for schools where 00:02:42.539 --> 00:02:46.479 they are lacking support. And in my head, you 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.860 know, it comes back to me to that old saying 00:02:48.860 --> 00:02:52.419 that if I give a man a fish, I feed him for a 00:02:52.419 --> 00:02:56.340 day. But if I teach him how to fish, then he 00:02:56.340 --> 00:02:58.740 can feed himself for a lifetime. And I know the 00:02:58.740 --> 00:03:00.460 flaws in that one because I know that then he 00:03:00.460 --> 00:03:02.360 needs to get hold of the rod and he needs to 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.240 have the time to fish, which are huge issues 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:08.780 for our schools. But at least we can do one part 00:03:08.780 --> 00:03:11.500 if I can teach you how to do it yourself. Absolutely. 00:03:11.500 --> 00:03:13.259 And you know what you're advocating for too. 00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:14.939 If you've got the right language, you know what 00:03:14.939 --> 00:03:17.400 to research, you know where you want to head. 00:03:17.500 --> 00:03:20.580 When the magical budget does appear in your hand, 00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:22.500 you know how you want to spend it if you've got 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:24.120 that knowledge. So I suppose you're giving them 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:26.759 those tools as well, aren't you? Absolutely. 00:03:27.120 --> 00:03:29.919 And there's still a need for OTs to do the highly 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:32.039 specialist bits. But do you know what? I thought 00:03:32.039 --> 00:03:35.439 if we could, the problems are so huge. If we 00:03:35.439 --> 00:03:38.080 can meet the needs of a proportion of pupils, 00:03:38.280 --> 00:03:40.939 a proportion of the time, then actually we've 00:03:40.939 --> 00:03:43.259 achieved quite a lot. Absolutely. And you know 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:45.639 what to ask for. We have often had occupational 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:48.000 therapists come in, but they can't actually, 00:03:48.139 --> 00:03:50.120 they don't have the skills or knowledge to support 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:53.000 with the actual, you know, child that we want 00:03:53.000 --> 00:03:54.639 them to work with because, you know, there's 00:03:54.639 --> 00:03:57.979 so many, OT is a huge umbrella. And I think that's 00:03:57.979 --> 00:03:59.060 one thing maybe that people don't understand 00:03:59.060 --> 00:04:00.840 that, oh, we need an occupational therapist to 00:04:00.840 --> 00:04:03.659 support with sensory. Actually, you need a specific 00:04:03.659 --> 00:04:06.240 occupational therapist or, you know, any other 00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:09.319 things as well. Yeah, it's very like a doctor. 00:04:09.400 --> 00:04:11.740 You know, you need, you've got a problem with 00:04:11.740 --> 00:04:14.539 your bones. You need an orthopaedic doctor, not 00:04:14.539 --> 00:04:16.920 a heart surgeon. Yeah, I think lots of people 00:04:16.920 --> 00:04:19.579 don't realise that maybe. Lots of people in education 00:04:19.579 --> 00:04:22.699 and parents wouldn't necessarily know that. So 00:04:22.699 --> 00:04:24.779 having that course at least gives them that knowledge 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:27.620 of, oh, this is the kind of thing I need. This 00:04:27.620 --> 00:04:29.660 is the kind of occupational therapist I need 00:04:29.660 --> 00:04:31.639 to look for. And then maybe they're looking on. 00:04:32.139 --> 00:04:34.220 you know, for the right website, the right therapist 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:37.319 for them and their needs, I suppose. Hopefully, 00:04:37.519 --> 00:04:41.860 yes. We're all sensory beings, right? Sensory 00:04:41.860 --> 00:04:43.899 is a great place to start. It's the fundamental, 00:04:44.019 --> 00:04:46.439 I would say. So if you're starting there, then 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:48.639 I would say that's probably a good place to start. 00:04:49.560 --> 00:04:52.620 Definitely. Absolutely. So let's get on to Brent 00:04:52.620 --> 00:04:54.680 then. I don't know if you want to, first of all, 00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:57.839 explain what it is or why it came to be. I don't 00:04:57.839 --> 00:05:01.160 know what's better to start. Where do I start? 00:05:01.220 --> 00:05:03.980 Let's do the why it came to be really. So bread 00:05:03.980 --> 00:05:06.480 is a brand new approach that I've developed with 00:05:06.480 --> 00:05:08.879 my colleague, Laura Graham, who is a longtime 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:12.360 OT colleague and a really good friend. We worked 00:05:12.360 --> 00:05:14.620 out actually between us, we've got over 50 years 00:05:14.620 --> 00:05:17.959 of experience of doing this. So yeah, we're long 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:20.899 in the teeth there. And what we found was we're 00:05:20.899 --> 00:05:23.699 coming up with the same issues. again and again, 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:27.480 core themes that repeat themselves when it comes 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.319 to regulation, particularly in the school environment. 00:05:31.120 --> 00:05:33.819 And what we thought was if we can come up with 00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:39.100 the structure to help you meet those needs, actually, 00:05:39.139 --> 00:05:41.480 coming back to that, we're meeting the needs 00:05:41.480 --> 00:05:43.980 of a lot of pupils a lot of the time. Not everything, 00:05:44.139 --> 00:05:46.319 because kids are just not that straightforward, 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.360 are they? They like to keep us on our toes. But 00:05:49.360 --> 00:05:51.399 we're meeting a lot of the needs a lot of the 00:05:51.399 --> 00:05:53.620 time. So we came up with the bread approach, 00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:59.120 which is targeting the five main areas that crop 00:05:59.120 --> 00:06:02.300 up again and again in regulation. And we're teaching 00:06:02.300 --> 00:06:06.399 you how to meet pupils' regulation needs in each 00:06:06.399 --> 00:06:09.519 of those areas. So you've got a five -step structured 00:06:09.519 --> 00:06:13.759 process to follow through. And the idea is then 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:17.259 that that's the bread. That's your basic. You 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:19.740 need your bread before you can do anything else. 00:06:20.139 --> 00:06:22.980 Then you can tweak it and you can add your toppings. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:25.160 You can add your butter. You can add your cheese, 00:06:25.240 --> 00:06:27.360 your ham, your marmite, whatever it is you might 00:06:27.360 --> 00:06:30.459 like to really hone it for that people. But if 00:06:30.459 --> 00:06:33.339 we get the basic bread there, we've got the foundations 00:06:33.339 --> 00:06:37.779 that are going to help almost everybody. Amazing. 00:06:37.819 --> 00:06:40.420 And I assume it's an acronym and you're not, 00:06:40.480 --> 00:06:44.839 you know, asking us to use bread. Although bread 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:47.379 is a great regulating tool, I have to say. A 00:06:47.379 --> 00:06:51.199 nice cake, food, a bit of toast. It always works. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:52.839 That's why I thought that bread was such a great 00:06:52.839 --> 00:06:54.660 acronym for it. Because, you know, when you're 00:06:54.660 --> 00:06:56.420 working with autistic learners, bread is really 00:06:56.420 --> 00:07:01.259 crucial in our classes. It allows us then to 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:03.459 add the toppings as well. So it's not saying 00:07:03.459 --> 00:07:07.079 it does everything. It's your basics. Then if 00:07:07.079 --> 00:07:09.720 you need more, you have the scope to add your 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.860 toppings. So yes, bread is an acronym. Took us 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:14.600 a little while to come up with it. And I have 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:18.019 to say, I do really like it. So the five steps, 00:07:18.120 --> 00:07:21.199 the five letters of bread. We have B for breathe, 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.819 R for reduce. And I'll explain all of these in 00:07:23.819 --> 00:07:26.779 a bit more detail later on. E is environment. 00:07:27.079 --> 00:07:30.379 A is active movement. And D is deep pressure. 00:07:30.720 --> 00:07:34.060 And they're the five key things that we need 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:37.449 for regulation. Amazing. Shall we go through 00:07:37.449 --> 00:07:39.029 each one? I don't want to give away the course 00:07:39.029 --> 00:07:40.949 too much, but can we go to each one a little 00:07:40.949 --> 00:07:43.990 bit more detail and see what were you seeing 00:07:43.990 --> 00:07:46.870 before this program started and why is it fundamental 00:07:46.870 --> 00:07:49.350 that people understand more about each one? Okay. 00:07:49.410 --> 00:07:53.410 So, yeah, to the B for breathe. The power of 00:07:53.410 --> 00:07:57.430 deep breathing for regulation is incredible for 00:07:57.430 --> 00:08:00.269 me. It just really works. And it's one of those 00:08:00.269 --> 00:08:04.250 tools that if we do it as the person working 00:08:04.250 --> 00:08:08.970 with. a dysregulated child. Actually, very often 00:08:08.970 --> 00:08:11.790 they fall into our patterns and it just happens 00:08:11.790 --> 00:08:14.550 for them. So even if you can't do anything else 00:08:14.550 --> 00:08:18.290 in the moment, if you just do a big breath in 00:08:18.290 --> 00:08:21.949 and let it out, the number of times somebody 00:08:21.949 --> 00:08:25.750 will follow suit. Weirdly, my horse also does 00:08:25.750 --> 00:08:28.189 this. It was a technique I was taught with her. 00:08:28.269 --> 00:08:31.110 When she's a bit stressy, we stop and I do this 00:08:31.110 --> 00:08:34.250 big breath in, big sigh out, and she does it 00:08:34.250 --> 00:08:37.740 too. And we're OK. And then we carry on. So it 00:08:37.740 --> 00:08:41.759 works. It really works with children. Co -regulation, 00:08:41.879 --> 00:08:44.159 making sure you're regulated before you're supporting 00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:47.240 them. A whole aeroplane thing where you have 00:08:47.240 --> 00:08:51.299 to put your own mask on. It regulates you a lot. 00:08:51.419 --> 00:08:54.039 It has a knock -on effect to the children that 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:56.600 we work with. And then, of course, there's so 00:08:56.600 --> 00:09:00.480 many other ways we can do deep breathing, depending 00:09:00.480 --> 00:09:02.860 on the child that we're working with. And in 00:09:02.860 --> 00:09:04.879 the course, we take you through a number of different 00:09:04.879 --> 00:09:07.419 options so that you can then pick out the one 00:09:07.419 --> 00:09:12.519 that's right for that child. So we might do sucking 00:09:12.519 --> 00:09:15.200 through a straw, sucking a thick drink through 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:17.799 a straw, sucking a... I don't know, cotton wool 00:09:17.799 --> 00:09:19.600 ball up through a straw to carry it somewhere. 00:09:19.960 --> 00:09:23.960 We might do blowing with blow football or a windmill. 00:09:24.139 --> 00:09:26.940 We might with, and other people do more sort 00:09:26.940 --> 00:09:29.600 of yoga type breathing where you do your hand 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:32.279 breathing or the square breathing. There are 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:34.779 lots of different ways that we can do this deep 00:09:34.779 --> 00:09:38.639 breathing, but all of it taps into regulation. 00:09:38.820 --> 00:09:41.899 It fits in with polyvagal theory for anyone that's 00:09:41.899 --> 00:09:45.440 following that as being a very powerful regulator 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.690 for the brain. takes us into that rest and digest 00:09:48.690 --> 00:09:52.529 that's really important for regulation and works. 00:09:52.730 --> 00:09:55.669 And we can do it in so many different ways, so 00:09:55.669 --> 00:09:58.309 many fun ways that are so easy to bring into 00:09:58.309 --> 00:10:01.850 class. Amazing. Yeah, I love that. I definitely 00:10:01.850 --> 00:10:04.549 see that. And I also see when we're taking them, 00:10:04.750 --> 00:10:06.850 I mean, this comes into environment, when we're 00:10:06.850 --> 00:10:08.830 taking them outside, I think not only is it changing 00:10:08.830 --> 00:10:11.210 environment, but it's easier to breathe that 00:10:11.210 --> 00:10:14.330 fresh air outside. It's less stale and stagnant 00:10:14.330 --> 00:10:17.080 than that. I've noticed that makes a big difference 00:10:17.080 --> 00:10:20.779 too. So in my own regulation, in managing whatever 00:10:20.779 --> 00:10:24.379 crisis is happening or communication is happening 00:10:24.379 --> 00:10:27.460 or dysregulation is happening, I'm managing it 00:10:27.460 --> 00:10:30.580 better if I'm breathing slower. It slows me down. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:34.460 It makes me think more rationally, calm approach, 00:10:34.980 --> 00:10:36.960 think back to the behaviour plan that we spent 00:10:36.960 --> 00:10:39.639 hours creating rather than rushing in and trying 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:43.539 to, you know, be superwoman. Yeah. So it definitely 00:10:43.539 --> 00:10:48.340 helps me. as well take a moment breathe really 00:10:48.340 --> 00:10:52.379 good for staff really good for the children fantastic 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:56.259 and simple and free yes and we can do resources 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:00.139 there yes and that's the point isn't it so often 00:11:00.139 --> 00:11:03.740 when we need it most our best tools aren't with 00:11:03.740 --> 00:11:07.399 us our squeeze machines and our you know exercise 00:11:07.399 --> 00:11:09.820 peanut balls and trampolines and all those things 00:11:09.820 --> 00:11:11.659 we can't bring those around with us everywhere 00:11:11.659 --> 00:11:13.940 even though they're fantastic but our breath 00:11:14.360 --> 00:11:16.019 and ourselves and our body, and I know that will 00:11:16.019 --> 00:11:19.320 come up in D as well, deep pressure, is where 00:11:19.320 --> 00:11:23.340 we've got it all the time. We have, yeah, it's 00:11:23.340 --> 00:11:25.820 there. And it sounds really simple, but sometimes 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:28.000 we forget the simple things in the moment, don't 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:30.399 we? All of these five steps should be really 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:32.879 simple and easy to follow, but it gives you a 00:11:32.879 --> 00:11:34.980 structure. It reminds you of the things that 00:11:34.980 --> 00:11:37.820 we need to do. And easy to remember too. Right, 00:11:37.899 --> 00:11:40.600 so we've done B, breathe. What about R then? 00:11:40.879 --> 00:11:45.600 R is about reducing. reducing the stresses. So 00:11:45.600 --> 00:11:50.980 that could be reducing the verbal. Drop the language. 00:11:51.539 --> 00:11:55.360 Cut it right down. Sometimes when we, sometimes 00:11:55.360 --> 00:11:57.740 I see when we're trying to help a child, we talk 00:11:57.740 --> 00:12:00.320 too much. We offer too many solutions. You know, 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:01.639 do you want to do this? Do you want to do that? 00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:04.039 And if they're already overloaded, it's a little 00:12:04.039 --> 00:12:08.120 bit too much. We might reduce the task that we're 00:12:08.120 --> 00:12:11.850 doing. Cut that down. we might reduce the audience. 00:12:12.049 --> 00:12:14.389 If someone's having a really difficult time and 00:12:14.389 --> 00:12:17.090 everyone else in the class is watching, that's 00:12:17.090 --> 00:12:19.610 not a great place to be. So let's reduce the 00:12:19.610 --> 00:12:21.529 audience. We're just going to reduce, we might 00:12:21.529 --> 00:12:23.789 reduce the lights if the overhead lights are 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:26.409 a problem or the noise. And again, we're crossing 00:12:26.409 --> 00:12:28.269 over into environment there because everything 00:12:28.269 --> 00:12:30.429 weaves in and out of each other, don't they? 00:12:30.789 --> 00:12:34.370 But we're reducing everything around that could 00:12:34.370 --> 00:12:37.470 be a stressor there and just bring it all down. 00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:41.240 Yeah, their shoes sometimes reducing that or, 00:12:41.320 --> 00:12:47.519 you know, reducing the heat on them. Yeah, taking 00:12:47.519 --> 00:12:50.000 stuff away, taking those dresses away. Visual 00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:53.039 clutter sometimes, it might not be mess, but 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:55.840 sometimes just visual clutter is just too much. 00:12:55.960 --> 00:12:59.159 Just closing blinds to stop the dappled light 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:02.360 or put something over the bookcase so it's less 00:13:02.360 --> 00:13:05.779 visually cluttered can be a large reduction as 00:13:05.779 --> 00:13:08.250 well, can't it? So you'll need to work out for 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:10.129 the child that you're with what it is that you 00:13:10.129 --> 00:13:12.110 need to reduce. But I think it will become really 00:13:12.110 --> 00:13:14.029 apparent through the course that people will 00:13:14.029 --> 00:13:15.870 know. They'll be picturing a child and they'll 00:13:15.870 --> 00:13:17.450 go, yep, do you know what? That's the thing. 00:13:17.929 --> 00:13:20.110 If we take that away, give them their ear defenders 00:13:20.110 --> 00:13:22.529 and we've reduced the noise in the environment. 00:13:23.029 --> 00:13:25.730 As you say, put something over something. Reduce 00:13:25.730 --> 00:13:28.610 the visual stress. We can do that. We can do 00:13:28.610 --> 00:13:31.590 that really easily. And it will make a big difference. 00:13:32.210 --> 00:13:34.830 Yeah, and I love that it's reduced because... 00:13:35.230 --> 00:13:38.230 That's not on them. It's still on our responsibility 00:13:38.230 --> 00:13:41.210 to make those calls because it's that moment. 00:13:41.330 --> 00:13:45.190 They can't reduce their crisis behavior, reduce 00:13:45.190 --> 00:13:48.129 their regulation. It's not asking them anything. 00:13:48.549 --> 00:13:51.090 It's us. Again, just like the breathing, it's 00:13:51.090 --> 00:13:53.669 on us to breathe. It's on us to reduce. And I 00:13:53.669 --> 00:13:56.870 love that because then it's in our control for 00:13:56.870 --> 00:14:00.090 one and it's something practical to do to support 00:14:00.090 --> 00:14:02.049 that isn't putting any more demands and pressure 00:14:02.049 --> 00:14:07.610 or responsibility on. Yeah. Yeah. It's us doing 00:14:07.610 --> 00:14:11.009 that co -regulation piece to help them out. And 00:14:11.009 --> 00:14:13.750 then we can move on to helping somebody recognize 00:14:13.750 --> 00:14:16.990 their own patterns, move towards self -regulation. 00:14:17.049 --> 00:14:19.250 Fantastic. But we need to start with that co 00:14:19.250 --> 00:14:21.429 -regulation piece, first of all, of we're doing 00:14:21.429 --> 00:14:25.049 work. Yeah. Which I suppose leads really beautifully 00:14:25.049 --> 00:14:29.250 onto environment. Yep, the environment is full 00:14:29.250 --> 00:14:32.490 of stressors, isn't it? And everybody needs something 00:14:32.490 --> 00:14:36.490 slightly different in their environment. So under 00:14:36.490 --> 00:14:39.929 E, we talk about all the potential stressors 00:14:39.929 --> 00:14:42.629 in an environment, the lights, the sounds, the 00:14:42.629 --> 00:14:46.090 smells, the movement, the touch, all those things 00:14:46.090 --> 00:14:48.870 that are there in the environment. I give you 00:14:48.870 --> 00:14:52.330 my own environmental audit and show you how to 00:14:52.330 --> 00:14:54.669 use that so you can do an environmental audit 00:14:54.669 --> 00:14:58.539 specific to... a particular pupil, or just let's 00:14:58.539 --> 00:15:00.419 just audit the environment as a whole and have 00:15:00.419 --> 00:15:02.659 a bit of a run through of where all the potential 00:15:02.659 --> 00:15:05.580 stressors might be for anybody, as well as for 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:08.559 an individual pupil. And we look at what we can 00:15:08.559 --> 00:15:11.600 do to then reduce those stressors, reduce those 00:15:11.600 --> 00:15:14.179 difficulties in the environment and what we can 00:15:14.179 --> 00:15:17.019 add to the environment that might be right for 00:15:17.019 --> 00:15:20.720 that individual. So maybe it's that their environment 00:15:20.720 --> 00:15:24.799 needs a chill out corner to go to. They need 00:15:24.799 --> 00:15:27.769 a safe space to go to. They need to sit somewhere 00:15:27.769 --> 00:15:30.769 different in class. What can we do to adjust 00:15:30.769 --> 00:15:33.570 the environment to make it right for that person? 00:15:34.210 --> 00:15:37.490 Yeah, perfect. Yeah, that makes so much sense. 00:15:37.629 --> 00:15:41.289 Not, yeah, where could they do the thing that 00:15:41.289 --> 00:15:44.230 feels safer for them? Yes. Maybe have the snack 00:15:44.230 --> 00:15:47.649 or go to the toilet is such an environmental 00:15:47.649 --> 00:15:50.490 trigger. It's glossy, it's bright, there's fans, 00:15:50.769 --> 00:15:53.690 it's loud, it's public. You know, that environment 00:15:53.690 --> 00:15:56.649 is not ideal for so many of our learners. So 00:15:56.649 --> 00:15:58.389 looking at that environment and thinking, okay, 00:15:58.490 --> 00:16:00.230 well, could we keep the lights down? Could we 00:16:00.230 --> 00:16:02.269 make sure the doors shut so nobody comes in? 00:16:02.330 --> 00:16:04.009 Could we change the whole toilet so it's then 00:16:04.009 --> 00:16:05.970 the staff room, which is more private maybe? 00:16:06.429 --> 00:16:09.809 I don't know. Can they go to the toilet during 00:16:09.809 --> 00:16:12.450 a quiet time when there'll be nobody else there 00:16:12.450 --> 00:16:15.830 and it feels safe? Yeah, exactly that. Putting 00:16:15.830 --> 00:16:17.690 some furnishings around so it's less echoey. 00:16:17.789 --> 00:16:21.250 It's all environment, isn't it? Yeah, environment 00:16:21.250 --> 00:16:24.889 has a huge impact. And it's something to consider 00:16:24.889 --> 00:16:27.649 in the moment. If you have a pupil who is struggling, 00:16:27.769 --> 00:16:30.389 who's dysregulated and you've already thought 00:16:30.389 --> 00:16:33.029 about their environment, you can then get, OK, 00:16:33.210 --> 00:16:35.750 well, maybe we know that the lights are an issue 00:16:35.750 --> 00:16:37.870 for them and we've had the lights on for an hour 00:16:37.870 --> 00:16:40.230 or we've got the lights on and we're asking them 00:16:40.230 --> 00:16:42.909 to do something difficult and we can smell lunch 00:16:42.909 --> 00:16:46.210 drifting down the hallway. So maybe we block 00:16:46.210 --> 00:16:48.529 one of those and that's going to really help 00:16:48.529 --> 00:16:52.580 us with our regulation. So often, whether we're 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:54.960 neurodivergent or not ourselves, so often we 00:16:54.960 --> 00:16:57.679 can get so lost in the moment that we forget 00:16:57.679 --> 00:16:59.840 to actually notice. We almost become blind to 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:02.840 the environment. And sometimes it takes either 00:17:02.840 --> 00:17:05.160 going through something like this, like an audit, 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:07.619 or somebody else coming in to say, it's very 00:17:07.619 --> 00:17:09.460 cluttered in here, or it's very bright in here, 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:11.099 or it's very loud in here, because you become 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:14.400 kind of lost in it too without actually stepping 00:17:14.400 --> 00:17:17.970 back and realising. what you're asking of your 00:17:17.970 --> 00:17:19.890 pupils within your environment, because it happens 00:17:19.890 --> 00:17:22.210 gradually, right? It doesn't, you don't walk 00:17:22.210 --> 00:17:24.829 in on a Monday morning and it's really loud. 00:17:24.910 --> 00:17:27.250 There's smells, there's, you know, it's bright 00:17:27.250 --> 00:17:29.309 and all that. It happens gradually. It bubbles 00:17:29.309 --> 00:17:32.470 up throughout the day. But the thing is, our 00:17:32.470 --> 00:17:34.430 learners are noticing it. They notice everything, 00:17:34.690 --> 00:17:36.569 especially visual, but they'll notice everything. 00:17:38.190 --> 00:17:42.089 So we need to too. We do. And like you say, you 00:17:42.089 --> 00:17:43.589 don't notice it. You don't notice it in your 00:17:43.589 --> 00:17:46.549 own home. You don't notice smells or clutter. 00:17:46.609 --> 00:17:48.609 You know, thank goodness. Probably drive most 00:17:48.609 --> 00:17:50.890 of us nuts all of the time because we do switch 00:17:50.890 --> 00:17:54.309 off to it. But we need to take that step back, 00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:56.990 look at the environment with clear eyes, go through 00:17:56.990 --> 00:17:59.450 my audit tool if that's helpful for people. It 00:17:59.450 --> 00:18:02.109 very often is because I put lots of prompt questions 00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:05.809 on there for things to think about. So you can 00:18:05.809 --> 00:18:08.970 hopefully hone where the potential issues are. 00:18:09.390 --> 00:18:10.970 And then when we're having a difficult time, 00:18:11.009 --> 00:18:13.369 we know what it is we need to change. Yeah, I 00:18:13.369 --> 00:18:15.029 can imagine that would be incredibly helpful. 00:18:15.069 --> 00:18:17.630 I'd love to see that because you do become blind 00:18:17.630 --> 00:18:19.210 to certain areas of the room that, oh, that's 00:18:19.210 --> 00:18:21.150 just how it is. And actually, it doesn't need 00:18:21.150 --> 00:18:23.410 to be like that. There will be a solution to 00:18:23.410 --> 00:18:27.430 make it more sensory friendly, I suppose. Absolutely. 00:18:28.089 --> 00:18:30.930 Yeah. Great. Yeah. Environment's so important. 00:18:31.450 --> 00:18:36.910 A. A. So active movement. Okay. Slight license 00:18:36.910 --> 00:18:39.190 with the A there, but actually it's quite critical 00:18:39.190 --> 00:18:42.589 because it's not just movement. It's active movement 00:18:42.589 --> 00:18:45.750 where we are working our muscles and our joints 00:18:45.750 --> 00:18:49.150 against resistance, which gives us that all -important 00:18:49.150 --> 00:18:53.230 proprioceptive input. And proprioceptive input, 00:18:53.410 --> 00:18:56.349 that sensory input we get when we work our muscles 00:18:56.349 --> 00:19:00.789 and our joints, is always regulating. Almost 00:19:00.789 --> 00:19:04.319 always. There's always one. Do you know what? 00:19:04.339 --> 00:19:06.079 That's the one sense that you can pretty much 00:19:06.079 --> 00:19:08.799 take as read is going to be helpful. Whatever 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:11.880 is happening for your pupil, that kind of input 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:15.480 is nearly always helpful to them, always helps 00:19:15.480 --> 00:19:17.640 with regulation. So we're going to be looking 00:19:17.640 --> 00:19:20.660 at the different ways that we can do active movement, 00:19:20.779 --> 00:19:24.240 which is a much nicer word to use than proprioception. 00:19:24.319 --> 00:19:26.859 When people are going, what's that P word? I've 00:19:26.859 --> 00:19:29.380 forgotten what it is again. Active movement is 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:32.240 much nicer to remember. And we're going to look 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:34.319 at all the different ways that we can include 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:37.460 that in somebody's day -to -day life because 00:19:37.460 --> 00:19:41.279 that will help them with their regulation. And 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:44.259 it's something we can put in proactively as well. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:46.920 It may happen in the moment. You might need to 00:19:46.920 --> 00:19:49.359 do your breathing and your reducing first before 00:19:49.359 --> 00:19:51.519 we can get to the active movement. You can also 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:54.890 put the active movement in proactively. Because 00:19:54.890 --> 00:19:57.349 as I know you know, but possibly not everybody 00:19:57.349 --> 00:20:00.170 listening might know, sensory overload tends 00:20:00.170 --> 00:20:03.950 to be cumulative. We build, it's like the straws 00:20:03.950 --> 00:20:06.390 that break the camel's back. All the stresses 00:20:06.390 --> 00:20:08.970 are a straw and they'll eventually be the one 00:20:08.970 --> 00:20:12.309 that blows, that leads us to meltdown. We can't 00:20:12.309 --> 00:20:15.329 cope anymore. We're dysregulated. And when we 00:20:15.329 --> 00:20:18.269 put in active movement, what we're essentially 00:20:18.269 --> 00:20:21.579 doing is taking a handful of straws away. It 00:20:21.579 --> 00:20:23.660 doesn't matter when we do that because what we've 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:26.980 done is taken it down a level and allowed, I 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:28.960 guess, space for things to build up a little 00:20:28.960 --> 00:20:32.440 bit more before we reach that overload situation. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:35.299 So we can put this in proactively throughout 00:20:35.299 --> 00:20:36.940 the day. And there are so many different ways 00:20:36.940 --> 00:20:40.039 we can do it depending on the age of pupil, the 00:20:40.039 --> 00:20:42.519 level that they're working at, their personal 00:20:42.519 --> 00:20:46.079 interests, even staff interests. Now, if you 00:20:46.079 --> 00:20:48.660 have a member of staff that's really into yoga, 00:20:48.839 --> 00:20:51.420 it's like, right, yeah, let's use that. or they're 00:20:51.420 --> 00:20:53.920 into something else. Yeah, we'll use that as 00:20:53.920 --> 00:21:00.779 well. Yeah, it's so true that if you're learning 00:21:00.779 --> 00:21:02.660 from somebody that's interested in their subject, 00:21:02.740 --> 00:21:06.460 it becomes really inviting and irresistible. 00:21:06.819 --> 00:21:08.839 And I suppose that's the key, isn't it? We've 00:21:08.839 --> 00:21:10.859 got a teaching assistant who's a football coach. 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:14.200 She's fabulous. And yeah, why not utilise that? 00:21:15.420 --> 00:21:16.859 She's clearly going to remember that she needs 00:21:16.859 --> 00:21:18.759 to do that. She's going to be really motivating 00:21:18.759 --> 00:21:21.400 and energising. And the kids, lots of the kids 00:21:21.400 --> 00:21:23.680 will love that. And then dance is another one 00:21:23.680 --> 00:21:26.259 and obstacle course and all of those things. 00:21:26.339 --> 00:21:29.680 Being silly sometimes is a really great move. 00:21:30.680 --> 00:21:33.019 But if people's teaching assistants are really 00:21:33.019 --> 00:21:35.720 good at being silly, then that can really work 00:21:35.720 --> 00:21:39.180 for some of the people. Just, you know, daily 00:21:39.180 --> 00:21:43.119 mile, rolling over a peanut roll. getting inside 00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:45.579 a body sock and having a push against it, all 00:21:45.579 --> 00:21:47.279 of those things. There are so many different 00:21:47.279 --> 00:21:49.859 ways that we can do it. But if we can put it 00:21:49.859 --> 00:21:52.180 in proactively as a plan into somebody's day 00:21:52.180 --> 00:21:55.539 and have identified what is their specific thing 00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:57.839 that they really like doing or their range of 00:21:57.839 --> 00:22:01.319 things they like doing, then great, we've got 00:22:01.319 --> 00:22:04.380 that in, ready for somebody. Fantastic. And I 00:22:04.380 --> 00:22:06.720 suppose it's worth mentioning that if you want 00:22:06.720 --> 00:22:09.769 to learn more about propriocept, and the sensory 00:22:09.769 --> 00:22:12.069 systems as a whole, do go back and listen to 00:22:12.069 --> 00:22:16.089 Adi Nell explain the full sensory system. She 00:22:16.089 --> 00:22:18.829 goes into great detail in episode 39 about every 00:22:18.829 --> 00:22:24.950 single sense, what over and under responsive 00:22:24.950 --> 00:22:27.910 looks like in those and how to support them. 00:22:27.970 --> 00:22:30.450 So if this is kind of new to you and you're not 00:22:30.450 --> 00:22:32.849 really sure about active movement, proprioceptive 00:22:32.849 --> 00:22:34.940 and... you know, you've heard the word viscerally, 00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:36.619 not really sure what it is, then episode 39 is 00:22:36.619 --> 00:22:38.559 for you and then come back to this because this 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:40.539 will make so much more sense. And so we've done 00:22:40.539 --> 00:22:42.960 active movement, which again makes so much sense. 00:22:43.039 --> 00:22:45.140 And it's interesting that you said that actually 00:22:45.140 --> 00:22:49.460 it needs to be drip fed in little and often because 00:22:49.460 --> 00:22:51.740 sometimes if they're already in crisis or in 00:22:51.740 --> 00:22:54.359 dysregulation, they can't really take in the 00:22:54.359 --> 00:22:56.839 instructions or the change in the environment 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:58.940 to get to the place where they can do active 00:22:58.940 --> 00:23:02.670 movement. It's never too late. It isn't. But 00:23:02.670 --> 00:23:05.650 it's harder to get the response you need from 00:23:05.650 --> 00:23:08.049 them because they are in complete fight or fright. 00:23:09.089 --> 00:23:11.069 So yeah, if you're doing it little and often 00:23:11.069 --> 00:23:14.250 before you're seeing those things, then you're 00:23:14.250 --> 00:23:16.930 taking off the straws and hopefully you never 00:23:16.930 --> 00:23:18.890 get to crisis. I mean, that's the ultimate aim, 00:23:18.990 --> 00:23:21.190 isn't it? That we never get there because we're 00:23:21.190 --> 00:23:23.690 doing those drip fed things in throughout the 00:23:23.690 --> 00:23:26.349 day. Yes, that would be absolutely fantastic. 00:23:26.529 --> 00:23:29.130 So it can be in there as part of somebody's bread 00:23:29.130 --> 00:23:33.319 plan. that we know we get those things in. Say, 00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:35.920 as you said, if we're in crisis, sometimes that's 00:23:35.920 --> 00:23:37.700 really hard to do. You know, someone in crisis 00:23:37.700 --> 00:23:39.700 doesn't want to be told, let's go out, let's 00:23:39.700 --> 00:23:41.680 go and do some dance or let's go and roll over 00:23:41.680 --> 00:23:44.019 the peanut roll. Yeah, it can be a bit tricky, 00:23:44.099 --> 00:23:45.799 but then we've got our breathing and our reducing 00:23:45.799 --> 00:23:48.559 and that might get us there. So then we can go 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:51.960 and do our active movement. It could be that 00:23:51.960 --> 00:23:55.079 we put it in proactively. We take those straws 00:23:55.079 --> 00:23:57.140 away from the camel's back regularly throughout 00:23:57.140 --> 00:24:00.299 the day. It's going to be so helpful. Yeah, on 00:24:00.299 --> 00:24:02.720 this, I suppose I had some training yesterday 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:05.460 with a school and they said, we've got five minutes 00:24:05.460 --> 00:24:07.839 to do a movement break. How can we do that? And 00:24:07.839 --> 00:24:10.799 I just said, like, you don't wait for the five 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:13.359 minutes. Your lessons have to then be the movement 00:24:13.359 --> 00:24:15.779 break. You have to drip feed it. If you had only 00:24:15.779 --> 00:24:17.900 got five minutes, then you'd have lots of five 00:24:17.900 --> 00:24:19.920 minutes throughout the day. You know, I don't 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:21.220 think that's the answer that she wanted. I think 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:23.740 she wanted a magical wand of this magical five 00:24:23.740 --> 00:24:25.319 minutes once a day that would just, you know, 00:24:25.319 --> 00:24:28.599 fix the kids, I think. But ultimately, it comes 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:31.670 down to that. consistent regulation throughout 00:24:31.670 --> 00:24:34.269 the day so it doesn't have to be other it doesn't 00:24:34.269 --> 00:24:36.849 have to be extra you don't have to squeeze this 00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:40.829 in as extra in your day it can be part of your 00:24:40.829 --> 00:24:43.809 lesson so think about how you can add active 00:24:43.809 --> 00:24:46.230 movement into your learning into your lesson 00:24:46.230 --> 00:24:49.710 maybe the learners pace in and out of an area 00:24:49.710 --> 00:24:52.529 to help them listen maybe they sit on exercise 00:24:52.529 --> 00:24:55.069 balls rather than sitting on the carpet or wobble 00:24:55.069 --> 00:24:56.589 cushions you know there's loads of resources 00:24:56.589 --> 00:24:59.799 out there maybe they're lying on their tummies 00:24:59.799 --> 00:25:01.140 and then they have to go up to the table and 00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:02.799 then down again. Maybe there's a bit of movement 00:25:02.799 --> 00:25:05.099 from floor to table there. You know, we need 00:25:05.099 --> 00:25:07.279 to think creatively as educators. I think it's 00:25:07.279 --> 00:25:09.900 our job not to see it as extra and actually to 00:25:09.900 --> 00:25:12.059 be quite creative and have that in our lesson 00:25:12.059 --> 00:25:14.559 plan, have that embedded in our expectations 00:25:14.559 --> 00:25:16.079 of the learners, that they're not going to be 00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:18.579 sat at tables and learning and focused and then 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:20.960 do their movement. It doesn't have to be set. 00:25:21.920 --> 00:25:24.160 No, it doesn't. It doesn't. And we come up with 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:27.220 lots of ideas for you on the course. to help 00:25:27.220 --> 00:25:29.859 you pick out what's going to work in your class 00:25:29.859 --> 00:25:32.519 with your pupils. Because there's such a range 00:25:32.519 --> 00:25:34.640 out there, isn't there? So I can't be prescriptive 00:25:34.640 --> 00:25:36.500 and tell you, do one thing that will work for 00:25:36.500 --> 00:25:38.480 everybody because I know it won't. So we're going 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:40.799 to give you lots and lots of ideas to take away 00:25:40.799 --> 00:25:43.380 and have a think through and see what will work 00:25:43.380 --> 00:25:47.359 for you. Amazing. Active movement. Love it. D 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:51.720 is for deep pressure. My favourite, I have to 00:25:51.720 --> 00:25:55.220 say. I'm a huge fan of deep pressure. It's so 00:25:55.220 --> 00:25:58.500 nice, isn't it? I did some training on Monday 00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:00.259 and I was just reminding everybody that if we 00:26:00.259 --> 00:26:03.400 have a bad day, we go home and we want a hug 00:26:03.400 --> 00:26:06.059 from our loved one, don't we? Because it just 00:26:06.059 --> 00:26:09.220 makes everything feel better. It's deep pressure. 00:26:09.299 --> 00:26:12.480 It really works. It's amazing. It's what we use 00:26:12.480 --> 00:26:14.960 with babies. We swaddle them. We cuddle them. 00:26:15.450 --> 00:26:18.130 As adults, yeah, we want that hug as well at 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:20.089 the end of the day. I don't know, my dog lying 00:26:20.089 --> 00:26:21.930 on my lap gives me... I was going to say, sound 00:26:21.930 --> 00:26:24.430 pets, like cats on laps and things. There's something, 00:26:24.589 --> 00:26:27.690 or a blanket on lap, even cushion on laps. There's 00:26:27.690 --> 00:26:30.029 something about that squeeze and deep pressure 00:26:30.029 --> 00:26:33.589 that is so regulating. Even just your winter 00:26:33.589 --> 00:26:35.829 duvet. I sleep better in the winter than the 00:26:35.829 --> 00:26:37.809 summer because the weight of the winter duvet 00:26:37.809 --> 00:26:41.730 is nice. Deep pressure is great. It's part of 00:26:41.730 --> 00:26:44.039 our tactile system. this one because if we're 00:26:44.039 --> 00:26:46.000 just getting that squeeze and we're not doing 00:26:46.000 --> 00:26:48.680 the active part, it becomes part of our tactile 00:26:48.680 --> 00:26:52.779 system. It's really calming and regulating. And 00:26:52.779 --> 00:26:55.059 again, there are so many different ways that 00:26:55.059 --> 00:26:58.200 we can do this from hands on where we're giving 00:26:58.200 --> 00:27:00.920 the deep pressure with our hands to hands off 00:27:00.920 --> 00:27:03.619 where we're perhaps using a peanut roll. We could 00:27:03.619 --> 00:27:06.859 be using a body sock. We could be lying under 00:27:06.859 --> 00:27:10.500 a weighted blanket. Yeah, rolling up and squeezing 00:27:10.500 --> 00:27:13.759 between cushions. We've done it. Yeah, squeezing 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:15.960 even against between the wall and a bookcase. 00:27:16.079 --> 00:27:17.799 You can have a little hidey hole, a little tiny 00:27:17.799 --> 00:27:20.079 space to squeeze into. I find that sometimes 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:23.119 that my learners in crisis do that themselves. 00:27:24.109 --> 00:27:26.970 Like some of them run away to a space and they 00:27:26.970 --> 00:27:30.470 want to get in something really small. So sometimes 00:27:30.470 --> 00:27:32.670 it's, and sometimes it's disproportionate to 00:27:32.670 --> 00:27:34.150 what they can actually get into because they've 00:27:34.150 --> 00:27:36.309 kind of lost sense of reality in that crisis 00:27:36.309 --> 00:27:38.650 moment. But they'll like try and get in a cupboard 00:27:38.650 --> 00:27:41.210 or get in a box or like there's that feeling 00:27:41.210 --> 00:27:44.589 of I need to be squeezed, but I don't want people 00:27:44.589 --> 00:27:47.690 around me. So teaching them skills and ways of 00:27:47.690 --> 00:27:51.289 proactively doing that. independently i can see 00:27:51.289 --> 00:27:53.309 would be really important to do it safely and 00:27:53.309 --> 00:27:57.069 effectively as and when they need it i think 00:27:57.069 --> 00:27:59.750 it'd be really helpful there is a reason people 00:27:59.750 --> 00:28:01.789 throw themselves to the floor because the floor 00:28:01.789 --> 00:28:04.250 is hard and we get some deep pressure from doing 00:28:04.250 --> 00:28:07.769 that so let's read somebody's signals understand 00:28:07.769 --> 00:28:10.730 what it is they need and picking up on what you 00:28:10.730 --> 00:28:12.450 just said i worked with somebody a few weeks 00:28:12.450 --> 00:28:15.549 ago who described very clearly that they really 00:28:15.549 --> 00:28:17.390 wanted to squeeze but they didn't want people 00:28:17.390 --> 00:28:20.259 to touch them and it's like right we can do that 00:28:20.259 --> 00:28:23.859 there's a way of doing that yeah let's identify 00:28:23.859 --> 00:28:26.819 it let's have it in your plan as to what it is 00:28:26.819 --> 00:28:29.500 that you like absolutely yeah because otherwise 00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:31.319 that could be more triggering even though it's 00:28:31.319 --> 00:28:32.880 what they need and then you've got this kind 00:28:32.880 --> 00:28:36.859 of yeah opposing stuff going on there which could 00:28:36.859 --> 00:28:39.240 be really confusing for the adults trying to 00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:40.779 do the behavior planning and i thought that's 00:28:40.779 --> 00:28:42.019 what they needed but it could also be really 00:28:42.019 --> 00:28:43.880 confusing for the learners while thinking i thought 00:28:43.880 --> 00:28:46.160 that's what i needed and it doesn't feel right 00:28:46.160 --> 00:28:51.220 for me yeah I don't want you to touch me because 00:28:51.220 --> 00:28:53.359 I'm in crisis and I don't want you to touch me. 00:28:53.460 --> 00:28:55.319 And that's when you get the dropping to the floor, 00:28:55.359 --> 00:28:59.480 the hiding, the running away, the maybe curting 00:28:59.480 --> 00:29:02.500 behaviours because they're wanting that pressure, 00:29:02.579 --> 00:29:06.200 but they're not knowing how to do it effectively 00:29:06.200 --> 00:29:10.920 or safely. Yeah, I've got a bit of a reputation 00:29:10.920 --> 00:29:13.140 actually. In special education, it's very normal 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:16.599 to squeeze children. But now I'm visiting lots 00:29:16.599 --> 00:29:18.920 of mainstream schools. I need to remember not 00:29:18.920 --> 00:29:21.960 to squeeze the children. Because my first point, 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:23.880 of course, is where I whip their shoes off and 00:29:23.880 --> 00:29:26.119 squeeze their feet. Like that's my go -to, to 00:29:26.119 --> 00:29:29.160 squeeze the feet. It's so calming, so often. 00:29:29.480 --> 00:29:31.019 But then I've got these mainstream teachers looking 00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:33.380 at me like, why are you squeezing our people? 00:29:33.759 --> 00:29:36.519 So I need to kind of, I'm such a huge fan of 00:29:36.519 --> 00:29:39.660 deep pressure, but it is about educating why 00:29:39.660 --> 00:29:43.740 it works, why we're doing these things. what 00:29:43.740 --> 00:29:46.519 it's giving to the learners and why we're squeezing 00:29:46.519 --> 00:29:49.779 the children. Yes. Yeah. And different ways we 00:29:49.779 --> 00:29:52.359 can do it when squeezing the children becomes 00:29:52.359 --> 00:29:56.660 inappropriate. Exactly. Either for age or environment. 00:29:56.960 --> 00:29:59.619 Exactly. Yeah. And we don't want our learners 00:29:59.619 --> 00:30:02.000 going up to a stranger in the street and asking 00:30:02.000 --> 00:30:04.799 them for a hug because that can be really inappropriate. 00:30:05.200 --> 00:30:07.619 So sometimes we need to teach different ways. 00:30:08.279 --> 00:30:11.599 So squeezing, fantastic. Other ways, also fantastic. 00:30:11.980 --> 00:30:14.720 So good. So true. I've had those who squeeze 00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:17.960 their friends as well. You know, you can see 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:20.079 they just want to squeeze something and their 00:30:20.079 --> 00:30:22.880 friend is a bit terrified. So it's giving them, 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:25.660 you know, other ways of getting that without, 00:30:25.720 --> 00:30:28.880 yeah, terrifying their friend, I suppose. Yes. 00:30:29.119 --> 00:30:32.509 Yeah, absolutely. In the course, we'll give you 00:30:32.509 --> 00:30:34.549 lots and lots of ideas of the different ways 00:30:34.549 --> 00:30:36.390 that you can do it. And we will show you how 00:30:36.390 --> 00:30:39.049 to do it as well. So that you feel really confident 00:30:39.049 --> 00:30:42.369 in going away and doing those things. Even doing 00:30:42.369 --> 00:30:44.369 the squeezes. I'm sure you get the same people 00:30:44.369 --> 00:30:48.690 ask you, how do you do it? We'll show you. Fantastic. 00:30:48.950 --> 00:30:51.690 Oh, I'm so pleased you created this because as 00:30:51.690 --> 00:30:54.089 you're explaining it, I'm like, yeah, these are 00:30:54.089 --> 00:30:57.329 the fundamentals. These are, this is your baseline 00:30:57.329 --> 00:31:03.299 of a... accessible environment for all learners 00:31:03.299 --> 00:31:06.839 let's just say that as well not not autistic 00:31:06.839 --> 00:31:09.440 learners not just those in special education 00:31:09.440 --> 00:31:12.359 all learners benefit from this all staff members 00:31:12.359 --> 00:31:15.339 will benefit from remembering to breathe active 00:31:15.339 --> 00:31:18.519 movement you know deep and knowing that about 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:21.759 ourselves I feel like if you're in mainstream 00:31:21.759 --> 00:31:24.920 schools This is for you. This is for all of your 00:31:24.920 --> 00:31:27.559 learners, not just those ones that you pick out 00:31:27.559 --> 00:31:30.299 that maybe have dysregulation and crisis openly. 00:31:30.559 --> 00:31:32.180 But this is for your masking learners. This is 00:31:32.180 --> 00:31:34.460 for all learners to help them focus. It's for 00:31:34.460 --> 00:31:36.799 your staff team to help them focus. We're asking 00:31:36.799 --> 00:31:41.900 an awful lot of children and teenagers in school. 00:31:41.980 --> 00:31:45.039 And if we can create a more regulating environment, 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:48.960 related bodies, then they're going to focus and 00:31:48.960 --> 00:31:52.519 learn better. Absolutely. Yeah. The learning 00:31:52.519 --> 00:31:55.259 will be better. Their participation in just general 00:31:55.259 --> 00:31:58.400 school life will be better. And all of these 00:31:58.400 --> 00:32:01.740 things, they're things we do. We do them as adults. 00:32:02.039 --> 00:32:04.640 You know, if you think about yourself, everyone 00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:06.519 listening, think about themselves. They will 00:32:06.519 --> 00:32:08.940 be doing all of these things. Come the evening, 00:32:09.079 --> 00:32:11.759 I dim the lights in the lounge. I sit on a comfy 00:32:11.759 --> 00:32:14.759 chair. I've changed the environment, haven't 00:32:14.759 --> 00:32:17.200 I? We're doing all of these things throughout 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:20.359 our day. We just... don't always notice that 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:22.700 we're doing them because we do it instinctively. 00:32:23.119 --> 00:32:25.259 But for the children and young people that we're 00:32:25.259 --> 00:32:29.039 working with, we can't. They can't do it instinctively 00:32:29.039 --> 00:32:31.220 or they can't do it when they want to because 00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:35.200 of the structure of the school day. So we need 00:32:35.200 --> 00:32:38.339 to help them do that. And I'm hoping if we can 00:32:38.339 --> 00:32:41.160 then have a bread plan for everybody, a document 00:32:41.160 --> 00:32:46.539 that has their plan of what they need. then that's 00:32:46.539 --> 00:32:49.779 simple and easy for everybody to follow. Yeah, 00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:54.519 absolutely. Is that why you chose school colleagues, 00:32:54.680 --> 00:32:58.160 people that work in school to focus on more than 00:32:58.160 --> 00:33:02.720 parents? Because so often at home, children maybe 00:33:02.720 --> 00:33:06.039 don't have that structure and expectations put 00:33:06.039 --> 00:33:08.900 on them in the same way that they can meet their 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:11.839 regulation needs maybe more easily, maybe more 00:33:11.839 --> 00:33:14.400 freely than school. Because I feel like the bread 00:33:14.400 --> 00:33:17.220 plan as a whole could work. In a home and school 00:33:17.220 --> 00:33:18.720 setting, there's nothing you said there that 00:33:18.720 --> 00:33:21.519 was particularly school, but is it just in school 00:33:21.519 --> 00:33:24.279 settings that you see those rigid structures 00:33:24.279 --> 00:33:26.440 that might not enable children to be able to 00:33:26.440 --> 00:33:29.740 access those things? I agree with you. It works 00:33:29.740 --> 00:33:32.839 school and home. And the plan will be to roll 00:33:32.839 --> 00:33:35.019 this out for parents. And the plan will be a 00:33:35.019 --> 00:33:38.599 book as well. We'll have strategies for home 00:33:38.599 --> 00:33:41.380 as well as strategies for school. I've focused 00:33:41.380 --> 00:33:45.990 on school at the moment just because... I'm seeing 00:33:45.990 --> 00:33:49.450 more difficulties in school and I think we can 00:33:49.450 --> 00:33:53.710 help more children. I give upskilling school 00:33:53.710 --> 00:33:58.269 staff with some of those regulation skills, probably 00:33:58.269 --> 00:34:00.950 particularly in mainstream schools where I'm 00:34:00.950 --> 00:34:03.609 just seeing as the years go by, I'm seeing ever 00:34:03.609 --> 00:34:06.549 increasing needs with ever more complex pupils 00:34:06.549 --> 00:34:09.070 that are in mainstream schools and the staff 00:34:09.070 --> 00:34:11.469 really want to help, really want to do the right 00:34:11.469 --> 00:34:14.090 thing, but they aren't sure. what to do because 00:34:14.090 --> 00:34:16.590 this isn't their typical cohort of pupils and 00:34:16.590 --> 00:34:19.710 absolutely fair dues you know we all know we 00:34:19.710 --> 00:34:21.710 all know our specialist areas don't there's no 00:34:21.710 --> 00:34:24.110 way i could teach a class of 30 i wouldn't have 00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:27.650 a clue where to start they'd just walk all over 00:34:27.650 --> 00:34:30.250 me it would be a disaster we all have our specialist 00:34:30.250 --> 00:34:33.650 areas so i'm just hoping that we can reach more 00:34:33.650 --> 00:34:36.590 children improve school days for children and 00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:39.449 for the staff who want to do the right thing 00:34:39.449 --> 00:34:43.639 aren't entirely sure where to start and who perhaps 00:34:43.639 --> 00:34:46.260 might like to do additional training because 00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:48.980 I offer a sensory champion course as well that 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:51.460 really helps you understand the whys, but maybe 00:34:51.460 --> 00:34:53.719 we don't have the time for that. School staff, 00:34:53.840 --> 00:34:56.739 they're so busy. So let's just give you a straightforward 00:34:56.739 --> 00:35:00.570 plan to follow. Get this done. And you know what, 00:35:00.630 --> 00:35:02.170 we're going to reduce a lot of the problems that 00:35:02.170 --> 00:35:04.329 you see. But yes, it would be great to roll it 00:35:04.329 --> 00:35:06.630 out to parents. And I'm really excited about 00:35:06.630 --> 00:35:08.630 getting a book done out of this as well. Yeah, 00:35:08.670 --> 00:35:11.809 absolutely. It's a fantastic approach. And I 00:35:11.809 --> 00:35:15.070 love how memorable it is. You know, you've got 00:35:15.070 --> 00:35:17.429 five fingers, you can remember bread wherever 00:35:17.429 --> 00:35:20.289 you are. And it's almost like a checklist in 00:35:20.289 --> 00:35:23.119 the moment of thinking, right. have I done this? 00:35:23.119 --> 00:35:24.760 Have I done this? Have I done this? You could 00:35:24.760 --> 00:35:27.300 work through it. Whereas I think before, maybe 00:35:27.300 --> 00:35:29.880 even special education teachers, we know all 00:35:29.880 --> 00:35:32.440 these things, but do we actually systematically 00:35:32.440 --> 00:35:35.860 go through them and think, is that done? Is that 00:35:35.860 --> 00:35:39.039 done? Is that done? I don't think we do. I think 00:35:39.039 --> 00:35:41.659 certain things, depending on who you are and 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:44.440 what your expertise is, get missed. Or they're 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:46.139 not done as effectively as they can be, or they're 00:35:46.139 --> 00:35:48.039 not done as individualised and bespoke as they 00:35:48.039 --> 00:35:50.340 could be. So having a plan, having that structure 00:35:50.340 --> 00:35:53.570 to fall back on. Having that accountability to 00:35:53.570 --> 00:35:55.989 fall back on, I think, is important for everybody, 00:35:55.989 --> 00:35:59.550 I would say. Yes, I think so. Just something 00:35:59.550 --> 00:36:01.909 you can use in the moment that isn't, oh, well, 00:36:02.010 --> 00:36:04.489 I need to do a sensory profile and investigate 00:36:04.489 --> 00:36:06.929 their needs more. Yeah, that's great. And there 00:36:06.929 --> 00:36:09.730 is definitely a place for that. But there's also 00:36:09.730 --> 00:36:13.389 a place for a straightforward plan of we do these 00:36:13.389 --> 00:36:15.670 five things. And do you know what? It's going 00:36:15.670 --> 00:36:18.250 to help. Yeah. And on that, have you heard about 00:36:18.250 --> 00:36:20.409 the impact it's having from those that you've 00:36:20.409 --> 00:36:23.389 already trained? No, because we're just starting. 00:36:23.590 --> 00:36:28.329 So the course actually starts next week. So I 00:36:28.329 --> 00:36:29.989 don't know when that will be with when this podcast 00:36:29.989 --> 00:36:31.449 comes out. This comes out at the end of March. 00:36:31.570 --> 00:36:33.650 So, you know, not too long. So it's already out. 00:36:34.230 --> 00:36:37.210 People can sign up. It will already be out. How 00:36:37.210 --> 00:36:40.110 we're structuring it for running it for the first 00:36:40.110 --> 00:36:43.489 time is it's running live one evening a month 00:36:43.489 --> 00:36:45.829 for five months. So in February, we're doing 00:36:45.829 --> 00:36:48.650 the B. In March, we're doing the R and so on. 00:36:49.230 --> 00:36:51.849 Those sessions are recorded. So if you sign up, 00:36:51.869 --> 00:36:54.349 they sit in the online learning space. You can 00:36:54.349 --> 00:36:56.590 watch them wherever you want, whenever you want. 00:36:56.829 --> 00:36:58.909 And of course, once it's finished, it will all 00:36:58.909 --> 00:37:01.909 be there for you to watch and access at any time. 00:37:01.989 --> 00:37:05.070 So you can join at any time. If you like the 00:37:05.070 --> 00:37:08.010 idea of coming along live and listening to it 00:37:08.010 --> 00:37:11.889 online, on Zoom, but it's live and you get to 00:37:11.889 --> 00:37:14.110 ask a few questions at the end, then that's great. 00:37:14.190 --> 00:37:17.510 Come and join as soon as you can. But it's... 00:37:17.769 --> 00:37:20.889 there anytime for you to access at any stage. 00:37:21.190 --> 00:37:24.150 And then we'll see how the impact goes. Yeah, 00:37:24.150 --> 00:37:27.170 I'm sure it will have a great impact. I think 00:37:27.170 --> 00:37:29.250 so. I think it will be great to track it and 00:37:29.250 --> 00:37:31.090 study it. And I'm going to be rolling it out 00:37:31.090 --> 00:37:33.750 in the schools that I work in as well. And then 00:37:33.750 --> 00:37:37.070 I'll be able to personally sort of measure the 00:37:37.070 --> 00:37:39.230 impact of that with the staff and get their hands 00:37:39.230 --> 00:37:40.949 on feedback because they're schools that I'm 00:37:40.949 --> 00:37:44.380 in week on week. And case studies are so important 00:37:44.380 --> 00:37:46.059 for these kind of things, aren't they? However, 00:37:46.239 --> 00:37:50.559 even though it's a new approach, these five things 00:37:50.559 --> 00:37:53.880 aren't new. They are well -researched. They are 00:37:53.880 --> 00:37:57.219 well -documented in their impact. All evidence 00:37:57.219 --> 00:38:01.559 -based. Yeah, absolutely. But the newness comes 00:38:01.559 --> 00:38:04.800 in the structure, helping us remember to do it, 00:38:04.840 --> 00:38:08.360 the audit and all of those things. The five steps. 00:38:08.559 --> 00:38:14.139 Follow those five steps. We are there. Absolutely. 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:15.840 And it's lovely that it's a pre -recorded course 00:38:15.840 --> 00:38:18.719 as well, because it means whatever your responsibilities 00:38:18.719 --> 00:38:21.679 are, whatever your timetable is, you can access 00:38:21.679 --> 00:38:25.139 this. It's fully accessible to all. And if you 00:38:25.139 --> 00:38:26.840 go, oh, I've forgotten, I've forgotten what the 00:38:26.840 --> 00:38:29.199 B was. I know there were some breathing techniques 00:38:29.199 --> 00:38:31.679 and I can't remember what they were. You can 00:38:31.679 --> 00:38:33.760 go back and watch it. You have access to it for 00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:37.019 a year. So you can go and watch it anytime you 00:38:37.019 --> 00:38:40.610 want over and over again. You also, because one 00:38:40.610 --> 00:38:42.809 of the things I find sometimes difficult with 00:38:42.809 --> 00:38:44.690 a recorded course is if you've got questions 00:38:44.690 --> 00:38:47.369 or you're like, I don't quite get that bit. Or 00:38:47.369 --> 00:38:50.170 maybe you think, well, I get that, but I can't 00:38:50.170 --> 00:38:52.530 see how that's going to work with Freddie. Then 00:38:52.530 --> 00:38:55.250 what you have the option of is a half -termly 00:38:55.250 --> 00:38:58.090 cuppa and a chat online session with me. And 00:38:58.090 --> 00:39:00.750 you can come along and ask your questions and 00:39:00.750 --> 00:39:03.130 we can troubleshoot any of those little issues 00:39:03.130 --> 00:39:06.900 to just help you really. pull it into your work 00:39:06.900 --> 00:39:09.980 environment and make it work for you. So alongside 00:39:09.980 --> 00:39:12.099 the recording course, you get a year's worth 00:39:12.099 --> 00:39:15.599 of access to me as well. Amazing. I mean, for 00:39:15.599 --> 00:39:19.000 those that are saying they have no access to 00:39:19.000 --> 00:39:21.119 occupational therapists, look no further than 00:39:21.119 --> 00:39:24.320 Ali Neal because she makes herself so accessible. 00:39:24.420 --> 00:39:28.400 And it really is that. It's a lovely tie in whilst 00:39:28.400 --> 00:39:31.340 you're waiting for hands on occupational therapy 00:39:31.340 --> 00:39:34.559 in your setting, which can take a really long 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:37.809 time. do this because at least you're already 00:39:37.809 --> 00:39:40.389 putting in those systems, those audits, those 00:39:40.389 --> 00:39:43.449 approaches to better support your pupils whilst 00:39:43.449 --> 00:39:46.409 you wait. Yes and your occupational therapist 00:39:46.409 --> 00:39:49.329 is very likely to tell you to do these things 00:39:49.329 --> 00:39:52.469 in the first instance anyway and then will want 00:39:52.469 --> 00:39:54.849 to review. So if you've already done them and 00:39:54.849 --> 00:39:57.289 you can feed back on what you've done and how 00:39:57.289 --> 00:40:00.349 it's working then your OT can help you tweak 00:40:00.349 --> 00:40:02.849 it. They can help you put the toppings on your 00:40:02.849 --> 00:40:05.940 bread. if you need them, which you may well need 00:40:05.940 --> 00:40:08.679 them. Not everybody will, but some will. But 00:40:08.679 --> 00:40:10.599 then we can go straight into the topping stage 00:40:10.599 --> 00:40:13.420 with that specialist OT that's coming to help 00:40:13.420 --> 00:40:16.239 you and you don't have to wait and then start 00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:19.760 from scratch. That reduces the impact on the 00:40:19.760 --> 00:40:22.900 learner, the adult, the class as a whole, whilst 00:40:22.900 --> 00:40:26.099 you're waiting. Because often the crisis just 00:40:26.099 --> 00:40:28.559 bubbles up and bubbles up until you're in desperate 00:40:28.559 --> 00:40:31.730 crisis. the majority of the time, which can be 00:40:31.730 --> 00:40:35.449 detrimental to everybody. So if you've got a 00:40:35.449 --> 00:40:37.250 structure, you've got things in place to follow, 00:40:37.449 --> 00:40:40.730 then hopefully you don't reach that point before 00:40:40.730 --> 00:40:45.369 you get that hands -on input and support. You 00:40:45.369 --> 00:40:48.869 should at least be steady. Even if we need to 00:40:48.869 --> 00:40:51.929 tweak it to make it succeed, we should be there 00:40:51.929 --> 00:40:54.389 and it should be okay. It's going to make a big 00:40:54.389 --> 00:40:58.909 difference. So I know that your website is school... 00:40:59.239 --> 00:41:01.960 sensory solutions .co .uk is that also where 00:41:01.960 --> 00:41:04.940 people go to find out this course and yes it 00:41:04.940 --> 00:41:08.480 is yes if you pop onto my website you will see 00:41:08.480 --> 00:41:11.380 the bread course there you will also see i have 00:41:11.380 --> 00:41:14.340 a sensory champion course which is a two -day 00:41:14.340 --> 00:41:17.860 course 14 hours that includes half a day on sensory 00:41:17.860 --> 00:41:21.719 circuits that gives you all the underlying knowledge 00:41:21.719 --> 00:41:24.559 and some of the shared knowledge with bread so 00:41:24.559 --> 00:41:26.949 there is some overlap because there are only 00:41:26.949 --> 00:41:28.769 so many different ways to say the same thing. 00:41:28.829 --> 00:41:31.610 So there is some overlap. There's also a day's 00:41:31.610 --> 00:41:34.909 course on sensory circuits, if you wanted a deep 00:41:34.909 --> 00:41:38.750 dive into sensory circuits. And there are some 00:41:38.750 --> 00:41:43.309 bite -sized additional practical trainings about 00:41:43.309 --> 00:41:48.269 dyspraxia, feeding, attachment and trauma, handwriting. 00:41:49.360 --> 00:41:51.400 It's quite a few of those as additional modules. 00:41:51.579 --> 00:41:54.079 And you can sign up to do an individual course 00:41:54.079 --> 00:41:56.940 or you can get gold access, which gives you everything 00:41:56.940 --> 00:41:59.480 if you want access to everything. It's entirely 00:41:59.480 --> 00:42:02.420 up to you. Ali, I love podcasts like this because 00:42:02.420 --> 00:42:06.059 I get so many DMs and of like asking questions 00:42:06.059 --> 00:42:07.800 like this and I'm literally just going to send 00:42:07.800 --> 00:42:10.340 them this now, which is just great. You've saved 00:42:10.340 --> 00:42:13.030 me so much time. So thank you. Thank you so much. 00:42:13.050 --> 00:42:15.230 Everything you say makes so much sense and you 00:42:15.230 --> 00:42:17.510 are always welcome on this podcast. I love to 00:42:17.510 --> 00:42:19.909 hear what you're working on. You come with so 00:42:19.909 --> 00:42:24.030 much wisdom and just clear understanding of the 00:42:24.030 --> 00:42:25.730 learners that we're working with on the ground. 00:42:25.949 --> 00:42:28.369 Everything you say is incredibly realistic and 00:42:28.369 --> 00:42:32.030 feasible for support staff to implement, which 00:42:32.030 --> 00:42:34.329 is everything we need. We don't want a magical 00:42:34.329 --> 00:42:36.909 wand. We want realistic and accessible implementation. 00:42:37.250 --> 00:42:39.989 That is always what you offer. So thank you for 00:42:39.989 --> 00:42:43.380 that. Thank you for having me. You're so welcome 00:42:43.380 --> 00:42:46.679 and if anybody wants to follow Ali on her journey 00:42:46.679 --> 00:42:49.420 it's School Sensory Solutions and Laura Graham 00:42:49.420 --> 00:42:51.920 as well as Laura Graham Therapy and then the 00:42:51.920 --> 00:42:54.440 website again is schoolsensoriesolutions .co 00:42:54.440 --> 00:42:57.599 .uk. Thank you so much Ali. Thank you Jordan.