Hi, my name is Jordan. I am a special education
teacher from the UK. I share my passion for everything
communication, sensory regulation and fun lesson
ideas for my classroom of disabled pupils aged
4 to 11. Each week I am joined by experts in
the field answering your questions and sharing
our knowledge and experience working alongside
our beautiful young people. Let's get started.
As I did last summer holidays, I'm going to kind
of run a roundup of this academic year's podcast
episodes over the next few weeks for you to enjoy.
And maybe you missed a couple and you want to
come back. So yeah, here are my favorite clips
from the last year. Enjoy. I say proprioception,
heavy work, because your proprioceptor system
is the magic tool that overrides all your senses
when you're feeling stressed and overwhelmed.
So if you're struggling to get dressed in the
morning, struggling with personal care, you know,
starting with some wall press -ups, chair, you
know, doing some deep pressure activities before
can really help regulate your nervous system.
And then, you know, it's a bit easier to face
some of these tasks. Okay. So you said wall press
-ups, chair press -ups. Is there anything else
that we could do that doesn't really need many
resources that they might be able to do? Yogurt,
or a dog. We've got some... Anything that's really
heavy work for your muscles. I suggested to another
parent, they have a monkey bar in the hallway,
just hanging off and just doing some hanging
on the bar. Really nice proprioceptive feedback.
If you're swinging, it gives the vestibular linear
input. That's really calming and organizing.
But in terms of no money and no resources, you
know, something that's so pretty free is any
pressure that... You know, that gives feedback
to the joints. I'm pushing, pulling, carrying.
So getting your child to carry the laundry basket
downstairs, moving the furniture around if you
need a sofa move, all of those things can be
helpful. And that push, that push motion is really
great, isn't it? And that's why I always say
if you're at the airport and you're about to
go on a long flight, get your child to drag the
suitcase. It's actually really good. It will
help settle their nervous system. That's a great
tip. I love that. And that's really great to
know that you can't ever get too much of it.
You can't over -stimulate it with proprioception.
Absolutely. It's safe for everyone. And you can't,
you know, it's really something that some people
respond so well to. I remember once I was working
in a clinic in London. And a family that I worked
with were about to get on a long -haul flight
to the US. So they stopped by the clinic en route
to Heathrow. And they just did an hour of jumping
and crashing and lots of proprioceptive exercise
and lots of deep pressure. And mom sent me an
email when they got to the other side to say
it was the best flight they ever had. I bet it
was. And great before bedtime as well. I can
imagine if you've got children that struggle
to settle for bed, you know, doing that. It feels
counterproductive getting them to do lots of
pushing and press ups and monkey bars before
bed. But it really does calm, doesn't it? Absolutely.
And then there's some things as well, you know,
depending on the person's sensory preferences.
Obviously, some children do better with lights
that are dim and calm and other, you know. That's
where you start working with somebody and really
ask them what their sensory preferences are.
Some children, you know, they are very oversensitive
when it comes to specific tastes. And then you
get the other extreme where children don't register
enough sensory inputs. Everything tastes bland
and boring to them. I know, I know. And if you,
and this is really one for you in the classroom
to think about as well. There are children who
are under responsive to sensory input. They're
the ones who might appear like slumping on their
chair, not being engaged. They might look completely
bored, but there's just not enough stimuli in
the environment to get them going. And, you know,
for those children as well, jumping, moving,
you know, having a bit of a shake about doing
something interesting can get their senses back
on track for them to have enough. sensory stimuli
so they can engage as well not being really vigilant
isn't it and really looking around the room you
know and being curious or they're jumping and
fidgeting maybe they need this they're slumping
maybe they need this and and kind of working
it out that way but if that if in doubt deep
pressure and yes yeah absolutely and also just
thinking about um the child's personality um
and their interest as well and that's another
kind of fun way to incorporate their sensory
kind of needs I like something that works always
really well is thinking of you know you've got
somebody who loves racing cars and I love trade
and kind of I always kind of theme my sensory
activities around that so this and our scooter
boards you cannot do enough with scooter boards
if you're a PE teacher yeah we have lots of fun
with scooter boards we're scooter boarding Between
every lesson, actually, it's lovely vibration,
I find. And so we do it outside on the playground
on the concrete and we have a skipping rope attached
to the front of it through the hole. So we're
pulling the scooter board along and they're sitting
on it. And not only are they getting the vestibular
because we're going around in circles, but they're
also getting the vibration as well. And then
obviously visual because they're outside and
we've got the dappled light. So there's so many
different things, especially for those seeking
children that have a bigger cup to fill in there.
to meet their sensory needs are there any communication
attempts that you wouldn't accept or that you
would maybe react differently to or how yeah
that's an interesting question like I think I
would always accept and notice and acknowledge
whatever behavior is coming out Because that
behavior, whether they intentionally mean it
to say something to you directly, is giving me
information about their mental state, their emotional
state, what's going on. And actually, it may
give me more information that I need to ask more
or find out more to explore with them because
they might not even know. So a lot of the children
who are non -speaking will... have so much trouble
even just feeling the feelings inside their own
body from a sensory point of view and then translating
that into some kind of language of like spoken
language or signing or anything just it's almost
impossible and then there's also that sometimes
they get overwhelmed by sensory things they can't
tease it out or they're actually seeking that
that sensory sensation because they're not they're
not their body's not giving them that feedback
so they're trying to get it so there may be like
there's definitely been times when children have
done something where it's you realize it it's
because they they're having that unmet need and
they're doing something that you would say that
that's not safe and you can tell them i mean
obviously if a child's gonna you know run into
a road you absolutely can't just go right i'll
just you know wait and see what they know like
you just you have to grab them and go you know
this isn't safe but it's things like it's things
like you know biting you're there or they go
to pull your hair okay that's is that telling
you i hate you i want you to die no it's telling
you i need something and i really can't figure
out how to tell you what it is or i might not
even know exactly what it is myself but this
is the quickest way i know to get help or to
get support or to get you out of my space or
whatever it is yeah needing at that time exactly
and then sometimes you've got to think about
combination of things sort of making them safe
using their language of touch as well so obviously
if they're touching to show you know they're
upset whether they're doing something that could
be injuring somebody else you can use your touch
in a gentle way but also you can remove that
touch so that it might be that it's too much
for them you have to know your child and that
just comes from spending loads and loads of time
with them Yeah, I think that's the point, isn't
it? It has to come, relationship building has
to come first. They have to trust you. So if,
you know. ignoring any attempt of communication
however unsafe it could be or ineffective or
inappropriate it could be on a social level more
likely inappropriate yeah exactly however it
is it's still an attempt to meet their needs
or be understood isn't it that that's ultimately
what it is and it's I've never ever seen malicious
or calculated ever I've worked for 16 years in
autistic children it is always to do with seeking
a need trying to get their needs met trying to
be understood trying to get the quickest way
like you say they're not lazy trying to get the
most effective way of creating the environment
that they need right there and sometimes that
looks unsafe and inappropriate doesn't it yeah
yeah yeah like I suddenly need to climb super
high you know yeah yeah because I need to actually
I just need to get out of here and sometimes
up is the quickest way out Yeah. For example,
exactly that. Exactly that. And it's not well
thought out. Sometimes it's just in the moment.
I mean, these kids are very present. It's second
by second, isn't it? Especially in my class,
it's very second by second. But you can acknowledge
it without, with also offering a safer alternative.
That's right. Yeah. Or you can be there for them
and show that you're here and ready for them
when they're ready without any verbal, without
any physical, without offering anything. Just
by being there, just your body language in the
space and having had, like I was just saying,
having had that strong relationship built before.
So when they're not in that fight. Yeah. mode
you've played together you've related to each
other you've had those lovely cuddles tickles
eye contact like moments you've built those up
so that when these moments do happen where it's
maybe inappropriate maybe safe maybe hurting
behaviors then you've still built that trust
that you've got that strong foundation that you
know it's the tower's not going to come crashing
down it's okay we can manage this this is this
is tiny in comparison to all this wonderful stuff
that we've built up it's okay i'm here for you
you remember that time just before i was here
for you i'm here for you exactly so ignoring
behaviors doesn't feel right for me yeah no and
also what you're saying is about the memory like
they're going to remember the previous experiences
and we do not we can really underestimate how
amazing how like rich these children's memories
are for things that are almost something we wouldn't
even be able to articulate ourselves in words
like the memories of the feelings of experiences
of moments when something has like utterly calms
them and all of those those those things because
if you think about it they're not spending all
of their time putting that into language all
the time that they're just remembering they're
holding it as that that like like a core memory
this is all I can think of is like these core
memories and they come they come back to that
so if every time they do something that could
be something you want you don't really want to
happen or could be unsafe or could be hurting
if you respond in a really negative way that
could be for them scary and actually causing
them to be really worried about that situation,
then they're only going to ever associate those
two things together. So you've got to figure
out a way of being close, like you said, with
your body, just proximity, just being close to
them. I'm not going to leave you, but I'm going
to keep myself safe from you, but I'm going to
be available for you. That really is the thing.
The power of deep breathing for regulation is
incredible for me. It just really works. And
it's one of those tools that if we do it as the
person working with a dysregulated child, actually,
very often they fall into our patterns and it
just happens for them. So even if you can't do
anything else in the moment, if you just do a
big breath in. And let it out the number of times
somebody will follow suit. Weirdly, my horse
also does this. It was a technique I was taught
with her. When she's a bit stressy, we stop and
I do this big breath in, big sigh out. And she
does it too. And we're okay. And then we carry
on. So it works. It really works with children.
Co -regulation, making sure you're regulated
before you're supporting them. A whole aeroplane
thing where you have your own mask on. Your own
mask on first. It regulates you with stuff. It
has a knock -on effect to the children that we
work with. And then, of course, there's so many
other ways we can do deep breathing, depending
on the child that we're working with. And in
the course, we take you through a number of different
options so that you can then pick out the one
that's right for that child. So we might do sucking
through a straw, sucking a thick drink through
a straw, sucking a... I don't know, cotton wool
ball up through a straw to carry it somewhere.
We might do blowing with blow football or a windmill.
We might with, and other people do more sort
of yoga type breathing where you do your hand
breathing or the square breathing. There are
lots of different ways that we can do this deep
breathing, but all of it taps into. regulation
it fits in with polyvagal theory for anyone that's
following that as being a very powerful regulator
for the brain takes us into that rest and digest
that's really important for regulation and works
and we can do it in so many different ways so
many fun ways that are so easy to bring into
class Amazing. Yeah, I love that. I definitely
see that. And I also see when we're taking them,
I mean, this comes into environment, when we're
taking them outside, I think not only is it changing
environment, but it's easier to breathe that
fresh air outside. It's less stale and stagnant.
And I've noticed that makes a big difference
too. So in my own regulation, in managing whatever
crisis is happening or communication is happening
or dysregulation is happening, I'm managing it
better if I'm. breathing slower it slows my me
down it makes me think more rationally calm approach
think back to the behavior plan that we spent
hours creating rather than rushing in and trying
to you know be superwoman yeah so it definitely
helped me as well take a moment breathe really
good for staff really good for the children fantastic
and simple and free yes and we can do resources
there Yes. And that's the point, isn't it? So
often when we need it most, our best tools aren't
with us. Our squeeze machines and our, you know,
exercise peanut balls and trampolines and all
those things. We can't bring those around with
us everywhere, even though they're fantastic.
But our breath and ourselves and our body, and
I know that will come up in D as well, deep pressure,
is where we've got it all the time. We have.
Yeah, it's there. And it sounds really simple,
but sometimes we forget the simple things in
the moment, don't we? All of these five steps
should be really simple and easy to follow, but
it gives you a structure. It reminds you of the
things that we need to do. And easy to remember
too. Right. So we've done B, breathe. What about
R then? R is about reducing, reducing the stresses.
So that could be reducing the verbal, drop the
language, cut it right down. Sometimes when we,
sometimes I see. When we're trying to help a
child, we talk too much. We offer too many solutions.
You know, do you want to do this? Do you want
to do that? And if they're already overloaded,
it's a little bit too much. We might reduce the
task that we're doing. Cut that down. We might
reduce the audience. If someone's having a really
difficult time and everyone else in the class
is watching, bye. That's not a great place to
be. So let's reduce the audience. We're just
going to reduce, we might reduce the lights if
the overhead lights are a problem or the noise.
And again, we're crossing over into environment
there because everything weaves in and out of
each other, don't they? But we're reducing everything
around that could be a stressor there and just
bring it all down. Yeah. Their shoes sometimes
reducing that or, you know, reducing the heat
on them. Yeah. Taking stuff away, taking those
dresses away. Visual clutter sometimes. It might
not be mess, but sometimes just visual clutter
is just too much. Closing blinds to stop the
dappled light or put something over the bookcase
so it's less visually cluttered can be a large
reduction as well, can't it? So you'll need to
work out for the child that you're with what
it is that you need to reduce. But I think it
will become really apparent through the course
that people will know. They'll be picturing the
child and they'll go, yep, do you know what?
That's the thing. If we take that away, give
them their ear defenders and we've reduced the
noise in the environment. As you say, put something
over something, reduce the visual stress. We
can do that. We can do that really easily and
it will make a big difference. Yeah, and I love
that it's reduced because that's not on them.
It's still on our responsibility to make those
calls because it's that moment. They can't reduce
their crisis behavior, reduce their regulation.
It's not asking them anything. It's us. Again,
just like the breathing, it's on us to breathe.
It's on us to reduce. And I love that. then it's
in our control for one. And it's something practical
to do to support that isn't putting any more
demands and pressure or responsibility on them.
Yeah. Yeah. It's us doing that co -regulation
piece to help them out. And then we can move
on to helping somebody recognise their own patterns,
move towards self -regulation. Fantastic. But
we need to start with that co -regulation piece,
first of all, of we're doing work. Yeah. Which
I suppose leads really beautifully onto environment.
Yep, the environment is full of stressors, isn't
it? And everybody needs something slightly different
in their environment. So under E, we talk about...
All the potential stressors in an environment,
the lights, the sounds, the smells, the movement,
the touch, all those things that are there in
the environment. I give you my own environmental
audit and show you how to use that. So you can
do an environmental audit specific to a particular
pupil or just let's just audit the environment
as a whole and have a bit of a run through of
where all the potential stressors might be for
anybody, as well as for an individual pupil.
And we look at what we can do to then reduce
those stresses, reduce those difficulties in
the environment and what we can add to the environment
that might be right for that individual. So maybe
it's that their environment needs a chill out
corner to go to. They need a safe space to go
to. They need to sit somewhere different in class.
What can we do to adjust the environment to make
it right for that person? Yeah, perfect. Yeah,
that makes so much sense. Not. Yeah, where could
they do the thing that feels safer for them?
Yes. Have the snack or go to the toilet is such
an environmental trigger. It's glossy, it's bright,
there's fans, it's loud, it's public. You know,
that environment is not ideal for so many of
our workers. So looking at that environment and
thinking, okay, well, could we keep the lights
down? Could we make sure the doors shut so nobody
comes in? Could we change the whole toilet so
it's then in the staff room, which is more private
maybe? I don't know. Can they go to the toilet
during? a quiet time when there'll be nobody
else there and it feels safe yeah exactly that
putting some furnishings around so it's less
echoey it's all environment isn't it yeah environment
has a huge impact so and it's something to consider
in the moment if you have a people who is struggling
who's dysregulated and you've already thought
about their environment you can then get okay
well maybe We know that the lights are an issue
for them and we've had the lights on for an hour
or we've got the lights on and we're asking them
to do something difficult and we can smell lunch
drifting down the hallway. So maybe we block
one of those and that's going to really help
us with our regulation. there's weight in love
and trauma isn't there there's weight of it all
and yeah I can totally relate to that I've had
conversations like that with parents of you actually
get it like you understand their voice you one
you you get it and and also somebody to be able
to celebrate the small wins with because actually
sometimes your own support network or your own
family don't even really get it absolutely and
honestly we treasure those people you know we
absolutely treasure those people because it's
so few and far between that there's other people
that get to see our children just how we see
them and it was funny actually because I've started
to talk a little bit about love now and people
think that's a bit funny to talk about another
environment other than you as the parent showing
love to your child but honestly I see that in
that setting I see It's really sad to me that
that's not expected. It actually makes me quite
teary thinking that that isn't a thing. I know.
I call my class my kids, like, for a reason.
Yeah, and they'll know that. They will absolutely
know that. It makes me quite teary thinking that,
that a setting would have a child, even if it's
just for a year, and not love them, just breaks
my heart. but I know you can feel it when it's
there and you know when it's not there yeah I'm
a children now right yeah and I think that's
what we're paid for like why are you in this
job if you aren't loving the children like surely
that's the fundament like surely and I think
that that goes back to what we were saying earlier
when it feels like you're kind of never meeting
that mark you're always not quite good enough
this is a very different basis isn't it because
when it's based on love you're invested in those
people whatever yeah and it is missing the mark
I know you you call yourself moving them up but
it is it is missing the mark it's missing the
whole point of this you could be getting all
the levels and results in the world but if you're
not loving the children you've completely missed
the point you really have i mean i mean even
caseworkers i mean they should they should be
have there should be some kind of love for these
families there but especially as a teacher i
just don't think it's as any excuse no and i
think that these children have not felt good
enough i mean can you imagine being a child who
ends up not being in school with their friends
yeah because no child wants that every part and
i think there's this rhetoric as well of children
families choosing to right students choosing
to not no all of them want to be there why would
you not want to be with your friends and learning
and thriving away from your family and coming
back why would you not want that that isn't a
thing they're not choosing to they can't do it
i can't not won't is one of your things right
yeah one of your books that is exactly it it's
not that they won't do it They haven't been given
the environment or the tools or the system in
order to be able to access it. And them accessing
it might look very different as well. I think
that's a really important point, that that will
look different. Same as our parenting will look
different. And inclusion doesn't have to mean...
100 % attendance. No. Included in every subject,
in every environment, in everything. That isn't
what we mean by inclusion. It is belonging. It
is accepting. And that could mean one afternoon
a week if it's not to benefit the school, it's
to benefit the child. And I think that's the
difference, isn't it? Is a reduced timetable
to benefit the family, to benefit the child,
then that's inclusion. school because they're
a bit distracting from the rest of the class
that's exclusion and yet it can look exactly
the same on paper that's a really important point
and I speak to families who say they've had you
know months and months and months of just driving
up to the school dragging this child in so they
can tick the attendance at school and then off
they go I mean what's the point and what trauma
are you causing doing that and also that trauma
between breaking down the parent and child relationship
Not just the school and the child. That's asking
the parent to lose trust, lose loyalty, you know,
huge breakdown of relationship. And then what
has the child got? If you haven't even got trust
with the parent and you feel like you're not
even being understood by your own parents, I
mean, that poor child, they really haven't got
anyone. then gets it and that's just awful and
that's i know that pressure comes from the school
and then above that it comes from the local authority
and above that it comes from the government to
the school to the parent And that's why I talk
about this repair and restore when we're at home.
That's often what we're having to do as well.
It's not just repairing that child from those
experiences, but it's also repairing our relationship
with our child because we have often broken their
trust.