The Impact of Calming Strategies and Safe Spaces

The Impact of Calming Strategies and Safe Spaces

On Young Children with Social/Emotional Difficulties

Sarah Northrop Heisey

Virginia Commonwealth University

Literature Review and Introduction

Conscious discipline.

According to Thomas and Ostrosky (2011), “Conscious Discipline’s use helps to reduce aggressive acts, decrease children’s impulsivity and hyperactivity, and decrease behavior and discipline issues, thus creating safer classrooms” (p. 3).

Conscious Discipline is a social-emotional curriculum developed by Dr. Becky A. Bailey. According to the research, “Conscious Discipline integrates social-emotional learning, discipline and self-regulation so you spend less time policing behaviors and more time teaching vital life skills” (Loving Guidance Inc., 2015). This curriculum has four components, which include, the brain state model, seven powers for conscious adults, the school family and seven skills of discipline.

Brain state model.

The first component of Conscious Discipline is the Brain State Model. According to his model becomes a frame for us to understand the internal brain-body states that are most likely to produce certain behaviors in children and in ourselves. With this awareness, we learn to consciously manage our own thoughts and emotions so we can help children learn to do the same (Loving Guidance Inc., 2015).

The Brain State model helps us to understand how emotions mandate behaviors. When there is an understanding of what behaviors, each part of the brain controls, it becomes clearer on how to apply appropriate behavioral interventions.

According to the Brain State Model there are three main parts of the brain that control behavior and emotion. They include the prefrontal lobes, limbic system, and brain stem. The prefrontal lobes are where our executive state is and according to Loving Guidance Incorporated (2015),

Conscious Disciplineempowers us to be conscious of brain-body states in ourselves and children. It then provides us with the practical skills we need to manage our thoughts, feeling and actions. With this ability to self-regulate, we are then able to teach children to do the same. By doing this, we help children who are physically aggressive (survival state) or verbally aggressive (emotional state) become more integrated so they can learn and use problem-solving skills (executive state). When we understand the brain state model, we can clearly see the importance of building our homes, schools and businesses on the core principles of safety, connection and problem-solving (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).

The limbic system is where our emotional state is and according to Loving Guidance Incorporated (2015),

However, if we learn to regulate and integrate our internal state to be one of relaxed alertness, we are able access our own brilliance. We are empowered to change and make wise choices. An integrated executive state frees us from past conditioning, attunes us to the feelings and experiences of others, enables us to remain focused enough to set and achieve goals, and allows us to consciously respond instead of automatically react to life events (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).

Lastly, the brain stem is where our survival state is and according to Loving Guidance Incorporated (2015),

Similarly, an upset emotional state is triggered by the world not going our way. It limits our ability to see from another’s point of view. This upset, unconscious state keeps us on autopilot so our words and tone match those of key authority figures from our childhood. We revert to disciplining the same ways we were disciplined, even if we know these behaviors to be ineffective or hurtful (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).

When a person is extremely angry or upset, they are down in their brain stem and they are not able to rationally think about and come up with a solution to a situation. The person has to be in their executive state to make rational decisions because this is where higher level of thinking occurs. For young children, their emotions are even more intensified and when they are feeling angry and upset, they go into survival mode and undesirable behaviors occur. According to the Conscious Discipline model, using tools and techniques to help children calm their bodies will allow them to have better self-regulation skills, which in turn will allow them to be more successful in the classroom and in society. Helping children to become more proactive and less reactive is important.

According to Dr. Becky Bailey, “Conscious Discipline is the cumulative effect of this journey. It is an attempt to bring together the best of what we know about learning, teaching, mental health, human development and neuroscience, and put it all in concrete terms” (Loving Guidance Incorporated, 2011, p. 1).

Purpose

Social-emotional development is a vital and integral part of early childhood education. “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process by which children learn to recognize emotions in themselves and others, manage their own emotions, develop empathy, make good decisions, establish constructive friendships, and handle challenges successfully” (Caldarella, Page, & Gunter, 2012, p. 590). “Emotional and behavioral problems can occur frequently during preschool, as young children are just beginning to develop language as well as capacities to regulate their thoughts, emotions and behaviors” (Calderella, 2012, p. 590).

Over the years, there has been a shift in behavioral problems in classrooms, but there has not been much change with behavior management techniques (Caldarella, 2012, p. 589). “Implementation of SEL programs has resulted in significant improvements in school environments, student learning, and academic performance, as well as reductions in negative behavior” (Caldarella, 2012, p. 590).

According to McMillian (2016), “the primary purpose of scientific inquiry is to explain natural phenomena, understand the underlying relationships, and then, using this information, to predict and influence behavior” (p. 6). With an increase of social-emotional difficulties in children, I decided to research social-emotional development in young children with special needs and look specifically at breathing techniques and using a safe place and their effectiveness. The curriculum that I am looking closely at is Conscious Discipline.

The purpose of this particular study is to see if the techniques of breathing and using a safe place are effective for young children with special needs who are dealing with social-emotional difficulties. Do the interventionschange unwanted behavior? Do these particular calming strategies help young children with special needs develop self-regulation skills?

Significance

In early childhood education there are six domains of development and that are all interrelated and the foundation for learning. The domains include physical, emotional, creative, cognitive and social (Hendrick and Weissman). In early childhood education, social and emotional development are closely linked and are usually discussed simultaneously. Research by Ashdown and Bernard (2011) states

The Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning (CSEFEL) defines social-emotional development as the developing capacity of the child from birth through 5 years of age to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, regulate, and express emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways; and explore the environment and learn

Social emotional development in young children is vital to their success later in life. According to National Healthy Start Association,

Social emotional development is a fundamental part of a child’s overall health and well-being, as it both reflects and impacts upon the developing brain’s wiring and function. Social emotional development is sometimes called early childhood mental health or infant mental health. It spans from how children interact with others to how they manage or cope with adversity and stress. Social emotional development within the first few years of life sets a precedent and prepares children to be self-confident, trusting, empathic, intellectually inquisitive, competent in using language to communicate, and capable of relating well to others (p. 1).

Early experiences help to shape a child’s social emotional development. Their early experiences also help to shape their school success and their long-term experiences. According to Taylor, Smiley and Richards (2009), “emotional and social development of infants and toddlers provides the foundation for their future emotional,social, and cognitive development” (p. 430). There is very strong evidence to support positive behavior interventions (p. 430). These supports should be used in a variety of settings such as the early intervention setting, the classroom, the home, with the therapist/professionals that work with that particular child and in the community environment (p. 430). Knowing this allows for me to choose an evidence-based social-emotional curriculum to use in this study.

References

Caldarella, P., Page, N., & Gunter, L. (2012). Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of Conscious Discipline. Education,132(3), 589-599.

Conscious Discipline - Conscious Discipline. (2015). Retrieved October 20, 2015.

Copple, S.Bredekamp, S. (Eds). (2009) Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8. Washington, DC: NAEYC.

Hendrick, J.Weissman, P. (2011).Total learning: Developmental curriculum for the young child.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Hooper, S. R.Umansky, W. (2009).Young Children with Special Needs (5th Ed.). Upper Saddle River,NJ:Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

McMillian, J. H. (2016).Fundamentals of educational research (7th ed.), New York: Pearson.

McMillian, J. H.Wergin, J. F. (2010).Understanding and evaluating educational research.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Taylor, R., & Smiley, L. (2009).Exceptional students: Preparing teachers for the 21st century. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.

Thomas, D., & Ostrosky, M. (2011). Implementing a New Social-Emotional Philosophy: The Struggle in One Head Start Classroom. Early Childhood Research and Practice,13(1), 1-9.