As part of our vision of empowering and building capacity within our community we can offer the following workshops at a time and location of your choice.
Understanding Sensory Processing: Supporting Engaged Attention and Learning in the Classroom
PART ONE This workshop is aimed at increasing understanding of sensory processing and the implications of associated challenges in the CLASSROOM environment. This is appropriate for the Early Childhood and Primary School environments.
Duration: 2 hours
PART TWO
Simple, practical strategies that can be embedded within their day to enhance development, particularly in the areas of sensory processing, reflex integration and motor coordination. Up to 15 strategies will be discussed and demonstrated via experiential labs.
Self Regulation refers to the ability to attain, maintain and change arousal appropriately for a task or situation (as defined by Williams and Shellenberger 1996) and includes the ability to seek comfort and security or safety, the ability to know what arousal state you are in and whether this is matched to the task and environment you are working in, to regulate emotion and attention to the task.
Self regulation is a primary occupation of childhood as our children learn how to respond effectively to stressors and return to a state of calm, alertness. The hyperactive child and the child who can hardly stay awake will both struggle to focus, as will the child who is highly anxious.
A Trauma Informed Approach to Sensory Processing and Self Regulation
PART ONE: Understanding Trauma
Traumatic events may be obvious, such as early loss of a primary caregiver; sexual, physical or emotional abuse. Trauma may also be innocent, such as early hospitalization and necessary life saving medical procedures in the neonatal intensive care unit. Exposure to adverse life experiences has been shown to lead to disruptions in development including social emotional and developmental delays; difficulties with self regulation and sensory processing. When an individual cannot adequately process sensory information or traumatic experiences, the body’s natural defense mechanisms become heightened further impacting sensory processing challenges and ultimately behaviour. Could it be that your chronically inflexible, explosive child in the classroom is doing the best they can despite experiencing early childhood trauma. Trauma changes a child’s brain and it is integral that those surrounding the child are trauma informed.
This workshop will aim to recognize when patterns of defence are impacting on a child’s capacity to engage spontaneously with life.
Duration: 2 hours
PART TWO: Trauma Informed Care
This workshop will employ practical strategies as a means of reducing stress held in the core and muscular tension patterns through play.
Managing Challenging Behaviour in Children and Adolescents: Based on Principles of the Collaborative and Proactive Solutions Approach by Dr Ross Greene
According to Dr Ross Greene, author of ‘The Explosive Child’ children are generally challenging because they lack the skills not to be challenging. This workshop offers alternative solutions for helping children with social, emotional and behavioural challenges. The workshop will focus on a.) changing the lens and our beliefs on why children exhibit behavioural challenges b.) identify lagging skills and unsolved problems using the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems c.) Solving problems using Collaborative Problem Solving
Today, more and more children have difficulty sitting still and are being labelled as having attention challenges. At the same time, children are increasingly being referred to Occupational Therapy because they don’t have the physical skills needed to hold a pencil, use their eyes to follow along a line of print or have difficulty with regulating their emotions. Children are entering the school system with bodies less prepared than ever before.
There are obvious developmental changes taking place in our children. This workshop will explore how developmental changes and the global external environmental factors that may be contributing towards this trend.
Participants will learn how technological advances, sedentary lifestyle and over scheduled time is disrupting development and how outdoor play, recess time and activities can be made therapeutic to optimise engaged attention and learning in the classroom.
This workshop is appropriate for Parents, Early Childhood Educators and Primary Educators.
