75 techniques to improve challenging behavior in children and adolescents

75 Quick, “On-the-Spot” Techniques for Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Lynne Kenney, PsyD www.lynnekenney.com @drlynnekenney

Nature and NurtureThe Biology of Behavior: Hormones, Neuropsychology & BehaviorismThe Science of How We Think Feel and DoDiagnoses, Descriptors and InterventionsThe Intervention Pyramid: Medication, Nutrition & SleepMusical Thinking for Anxiety, Dysregulation, Learning & BehaviorThinking + Self-Regulation Interventions for ADHD, LD, Anxiety Depression, ASDImproving Challenging BehaviorsThe Bloom Collaborative Mindset Strategies for Parents, Caregivers, Therapists & Teachers

Today’s Landscape

Raising Healthier Children and Adolescents with Current Neuroscience and Activities

The Biology of Behavior

Behavior is a biological process.It happens in your body + your brain.

Nature and Nurture: The Brain

The typical brain is about 2% of a body’s weight but uses 20% of its total energy and oxygen intakeThe brain is 73% water, it takes only 2% dehydration to affect your attention, memory and other cognitive skillsThe brain contains about 86 billion nerve cells (neurons)Each neuron connects with, on average, 40,000 synapses There are about10,000 specific types of neurons in the human brainThe cerebellum has more neurons than the rest of the brain put togetherThere are as many as 50 times more glia than neurons in our CNS

Nature and Nurture: The Senses

Your nose can detect a trillion scents and remembers at least 50,000 different scentsPeople have about 450 different types of olfactory receptorsThe olfactory nerve is the shortest cranial It is one of two nerves that do not join with the brainstem, the other being the optic nerveGenetic evidence suggests that nearly every organ in the body contains olfactory receptors including the skin, liver, brain, colon, heart and lungs You can smell danger and fear

Nature and Nurture: Survive Then Thrive

We need to attend to environmental demands for safety and sustenance (predators and food)We need to shift and re-select attention targets to behave appropriatelyWe need to learn from past experienceWe need to inhibit impulsesWe need to shift our thinking and behavior to adapt

Entrainment is Biological Socialization: The Family Orchestra

Neuroscience and Behavioral ChangeHow The Brain is BuiltThe Caveman, The Thinker + BootsThe Power of EntrainmentTeaching Children HOW Their Brains WorkCognitive-Exercise

The Science of How We Think, Feel and Do

MedicationDevelopmental, Behavioral, Learning Interventions

NeurotransmittersExerciseFood/NutritionSleep

Cortical control is a whole brain response, not simply the response of one part of the brain. The brain works more like an orchestra than simply a section of instruments.

How The Brain is Built

Neurotransmitter Function

• Excitatory neurotransmitters: These types of neurotransmitters have excitatory effects on the neuron; they increase the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential. Some of the major excitatory neurotransmitters include epinephrine and norepinephrine.

• Inhibitory neurotransmitters: These types of neurotransmitters have inhibitory effects on the neuron; they decrease the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential. Some of the major inhibitory neurotransmitters include serotonin and GABA.

• Some neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine and dopamine, can have both excitatory and inhibitory effects depending upon the type of receptors that are present.

• Hormones generally act on organs, neurotransmitters communicate between neurons.

Nourish at the Cellular Level

Maslow Before Bloom

Consistent wake and sleep timesSleep routineDark cool roomMorning sunMorning movement

The 98% Rule

Behavioral Change is Learning

“With awareness, knowledge and skills all things are possible.”

Brief Assessment

Data

Drives

Interventions

Translational Intervention

LanguageCognitionSocialSensoryTemperamentMotor

•Developmental Delays•Executive Function•Grief•Trauma•Illness•Low blood sugar•Over-stimulation•Boredom•Misunderstanding•Sabotage•Anxiety

Asynchrony + Intensity

Neuroscience and Behavioral Change

What All Diagnoses Have in Common

HumanityRelatednessIntensityRepetitionDiscomfortHope

PartnerConnectCommunicateRespect

No Matter the Diagnosis We….

Children want to behave betterChildren want to feel connectedChildren want to be a part of something bigger and more meaningfulWe teach them, not punish them into their new skills

The Bloom Collaborative Mindset

Believing we can consequence children into new skill sets

The Discipline Trap - What it is and how we get caught in it

Using Top-Down strategies instead of teaching foundational skillsCollapsing FamiliesStart bottom up and inside out

Damage Control

Build A Pond

What are the Roadblocks?

• Poverty, trauma and grief• Skill deficits• Emotionally-Physically

unsafe learning environments

• Mythical belief systems

Teach foundational social and academic skills firstBegin with a culture of kindnessPartner and collaborate with the childrenTeach the children HOW their brains workModel “You can!”Encourage learning through creativity and movementMove around the defensive brainReduce anxiety/stress, they interfere with cognition

Let’s Turn Behavior Right-Side Up

Create Cultures of Kindness

Thinking SkillsSelf-RegulationLearningBehavior

Improving Challenging Behaviors

Musical ThinkingCognitive ExerciseCognitive ConversationsSocratic QuestioningNarrative LanguageStory-TellingRole PlayDrawing, writing, journaling

“On The Spot” Tools

ArtWorksheetsVisual prompts (picture schedules, mantras)PlayTechnology (gaming, apps, TLP, inTime, Activate)MovementMusic

Improving Skill Deficits

You Help Your Brain Best

We Invite You To Become a Cognitive Scientist

What am I Needing?How will I Get it?What will I Think?What will I Say?What will I Do?

SKILS

When we make the application of executive functions to learning transparent and easily understood, children gain better control over what was previously mysterious to them, that is, the process of thinking and learning.

Transparency

How the brain is builtHow we learn: Build neuronal highwaysWhat executive functions skills are, how to develop them and when and how to use themWhat the brain needs to function well (nutrition, sleep, cognitive coaching)Your brain is musical

Teaching Children and Teens About Their Brains

Musical Thinking is a cognitive empowerment strategy utilizing music, movement and rhythm that teaches children how they think and learn helping them gain better control over their approach to daily

tasks and activities related to learning and behavior.

Cognitive• Organization, planning, approach and time management • Attention (alert, select, sustain, drift)• Cognitive control, shift and flexibility• Memory, input, manipulation, output

• Problem solving, decision makingLimbic• Emotional regulation and modulation

• Impulse control and management

• Motor management planning, pacing, initiation, maintaining, and stopping

Domains of Executive Function

Survey and previewPlan, organize, sequence, initiate and execute tasksStop, think, decide, respond, revise Hold, manipulate and retrieve memory Alert, select, attend, sustain, manage driftTolerate and adapt to changes in expectationsManage time

What every client needs to know how to do

Attend Remember Inhibit and Learn

Musical Thinking

Let’s play with tempo, timing, patterns and rhythm.

Musical Thinking

Musical Thinking is a cognitive empowerment strategy utilizing music, movement and rhythm to teach children how they think and learn helping them gain better control over their approach to daily tasks and activities related to learning and behavior.

Musical Thinking

“Teaching children HOW they think,

not simply what to think.”

Measures are Magic!

Measures of music have an interesting correlation to cognitive processing. In 4/4 time, there are four beats to a measure.Each beat can help children experience a part of a thought, action or piece of educational content. Since we learn by understanding the sequences of content, knowledge or actions, we are able to teach children better executive function skills by associating content, knowledge or calming with each beat.

What’s In a Measure?

The #1 thing we need to do to learn is put things into our brains then take them out again, over and over.

Slow-Mo – We encode in slow notes.Quick Rick – We retrieve in quick notes.

Learning + Memory

Any NEW skill can be layered on rhythmic movement.

Cognitive Exercise + NEW Habit Development

”When my Mom makes me mad.”

When I feel mad, I’ll stop and breathe. When I feel mad.When I feel mad, I’ll ask for help. When I feel mad.When I feel mad, I’ll take a walk. My mads get glad.

Movement precedes cognition.Rhythm is a foundational component to perceiving language, reading and math.Deficits in fine and gross motor control, rhythm, and timing have been consistently reported in the literature across several diagnostic groups including ADHD, developmental dyslexia, reading, math and speech-language deficits. Movement paired with increasingly complex cognition is likely to improve executive functions.

Foundational Cognitive Exercise Research

Learning + behavior (memory, attention, inhibition)SEL (communication, self-awareness,self-compassion)Mastery (confidence, increased motivation, decreased anxiety/stress)

Musical Thinking Outcomes

Cognitive Conversations

Socratic Questioning: Guided Discovery - Padesky

WhoWhatWhenWhereHowHas

Narrative Language

I see thatFirst we... Then we...Now we areI wonder aboutWhen weHelp me understand

Helping Care Providers with Language and Action

Story Telling

Periwinkle and Pace

Role-Play

What’s the situationWho is thereWhat are they doingWhat can you say, think and do?

Worksheets

Self-Regulation + Calming Skills

We GET Calm to Be Calm.

Self-Regulation is Energy Management

Nacho Arimany the value of the the ¾ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Shall We Dance

Fan BreathingFlip n PushThe Rocking VSun SalutationPing n PongBig Ben

On The Spot Self-Regulation

Be a force multiplier.You have the power to change the trajectory of children’s behavior!