Self Regulation Interventions

Teresa Garland is an occupational therapist that has shared her knowledge and experiences with the public in her book Self-Regulation Interventions and Strategies: Keeping the Body, Mind and Emotions on Task in Children with Autism, ADHD or Sensory Disorders. This book is a full of resources for educators and parents of children with self-regulation issues. Published in 2014 this book is an array current information and interventions dealing with sensory/self-regulation issues seen at home and school. As a special educator, I have seen and interacted with students with self-regulation issues. Imagine having a student that on a whim will jump out of their seat and pace in the back of the classroom because the fluorescent lightbulb in the

For example, in chapter four, Garland discusses eating, sleeping, and bowel and bladder issues. The chapter starts by explaining typical description of a picky eater, a child with specific preferences with regards to tastes, textures and smells. Then she goes into detail on what may cause the picky eating: oral motor skills, inflexibility, food intolerances and allergies, emotional issues and eating disorders, poor appetite, and behavior related issues. Finally interventions are provided for various situations. One intervention that is provided for a child that has issues eating when hearing unpleasant sounds such as people chewing is wearing earmuffs, playing music quietly, or separate seating far enough away to dampen the unpleasant sounds. Garland would then explain sleeping issues and follow the same structure as eating issues and then follow up with bowel and bladder issues, causes, and

The overall goal of the book is to give guidance and understanding of how to help a student regulate themselves in given situations so they can complete a desired task. Often, students with self-regulation issues appear as students that are not trying hard enough to complete a task or defiant toward a task and are trying to get out of a task (McClelland, "Development and Self-Regulation"). However, the students are more likely trying to regulate themselves through actions that are not appropriate to the external situation. I have experienced students with self-regulation issues. The student would yell and run during transition times. After several observations and student/teacher/parent interviews I discovered the desk chairs being moved around sent the student over the edge. The floor in the classroom was new and the sound was intolerable for the student. When ended up putting tennis balls on the chairs and the behaviors vanished. Once I was able to identify the need of the student the undesired behavior was