Student Engagement & Wellbeing News

WELLBEING

Regulation

Have you ever had one of those moments where the kids are screaming and completely dysregulated and you are coping with it. You have it all under control… until you don’t. Then you become dysregulated too. You feel like you can’t control your responses anymore. What you do & say ends up pouring even more fuel on an already out of control fire… Well, enough about my morning! 

In all seriousness, these situations happen. We are parents, it's bound to happen. We all go through ‘seasons of life’. Sometimes it's sunny and we feel great and we cope better. Other times, life throws us a stormy situation and we don’t have as much patience. Let’s look further into this.

We are all sensory beings. We get input from all of our senses and we need to actively regulate them when the need arises. When we get tired, we need sleep. When we get hungry, we need food. This is all part of noticing our body and the internal state we are in. Management of this takes time to learn. Babies recognise the dysregulation and communicate this through crying. We support them to meet their needs. Then… they grow.

Tantrums Vs Sensory Dysregulation

Kids learn pretty quickly that when they cry or scream, they get what they need. This can turn into cry and scream to get what I want. We don’t want to pander to a child in a tantrum but the problem arises over if it is a tantrum, or is it dysregulation. We cannot simply turn off a need. We need to get to know our little ones and work out their sensory needs. We all have things that we seek and things that we avoid. I, for one, cannot take loud environments for long periods of time. It drains me. I am easily triggered by hearing my kids fighting with each other. I avoid these sensory inputs if I can. My eldest has worked out that I regulate VERY QUICKLY when she runs her fingers through my hair. This is an input that I seek. I find myself doing it throughout the day, many times without realising it. It is really important for us as parents to learn what types of inputs that our kids seek, and those that they avoid. This is important for ourselves also. Once we know more about our kids ‘sensory profile’, we can limit the things that dysregulate them, and support them to regulate by giving them what they seek. 

If you want to know more about regulation and supporting your little ones, this article is a great read. Understanding Sensory Dysregulation - The OT Toolbox

By the way… Did you know that there are not just 5 senses? There are 8!

Come and see if you can name them, for a free high 5 =)

Anna Gbikpi-Benissan