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!