Self-Regulation Program
To teach children to be aware of their own state of being and to use appropriate self-regulation to help themselves stay alert and participate well in all activities of daily living.
This course was created by two internationally renowned occupational therapists and emphasizes the importance of "self-regulation" in life. Self-regulation is the ability to self-manage and control concentration and emotions, while the self-regulation program is a systematic and realistic treatment program. The course will allow children and parents to learn how to be aware of and immediately adjust themselves using appropriate methods in their lives, making self-regulation simple so that we can focus on everything in our lives, children can focus on learning, playing and socializing, and adults can focus on working and enjoying leisure activities.
The course consists of the following two stages:
Stage 1: Identify arousal level (engine speed)
The most common metaphor used to describe the arousal level is the engine of a car or the speed, so that children can easily understand and learn to be aware of their own state. The following are examples of how children may behave at different levels of arousal:
- Driving too fast (high arousal level): talking louder, talking more, running and jumping around without being aware of the environment, shouting in anger or crying, too nervous to talk, unable to wait...
- Driving at appropriate speed (moderate arousal level): can play the game by rule, speak up about their needs, concentrate on their studies, remember what they have to do...
- Driving too slow (low arousal level): may yawn, be sleepy, drift off, not hear someone calling you...
Stage 2: Learn how to change the arousal level and apply it in life
In this course, speed is changed by using different sensory-motor strategies. For example, when the child is driving too fast, the occupational therapist uses proprioceptive and tactile activities to stabilize and settle the child, while when the child is driving too slow, vestibular activities are used to increase the child's arousal level, reaction time and motivation to wake them up. Therefore, during this phase of practice, we teach children different strategies and methods and practice using them to help them adjust their speed when they realize they need to do so.
During this course, adults' demonstrations, reminders and guidance can help children learn to recognize their own state of being, so the joint participation and practice of the therapist, the parents and the children will certainly maximize the effect of the course!
