Thread by @LynburnNurture

We have created an entire classroom based upon the Neurosequential Model of Dr Bruce Perry. The Lighthouse classroom is designed to steer pupils towards emotional and physical safety through Regulate, Relate, Reason. A thread 🧵 @BDPerry

Our survival brain doesn't communicate through words, it communicates through our senses. Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste, proprioception, vestibular and interception feedback can soothe or trigger us. We can use a child's sensory seeking behaviour to help them REGULATE

Proprioceptive activities have a soothing effect on the nervous system. Pushing, pulling, deep pressure, & cardiovascular movement accumulate in the body. This provides a sense of physical safety, and therefore regulation, allowing us to access the limbic (emotional) brain 🧠

RELATE is all about positive relationship, safe faces, and connection. This provides the child with emotional safety.

Helping children to externalise the big feelings on the inside reduces the power an emotion has. It also prevents the internalisation of shame. We use the 5 Point Scale and Emotion Works to validate, empathise and normalise emotions. @EmotionWorksCIC

Once a child feels physically safe (regulate), emotionally safe (relate) they can communicate, play, think, plan, organise and successfully learn in school. We have accessed the cortex and can REASON 🧠

We have suggested activities to promote proprioceptive and vestibular activities.

There is equipment to rhythmically rock and move as well stories and dressing up. Mrs Mac wears a fabulous story telling hat for a bit of fun 👒

We have timetabled The Lighthouse for children who communicate their distress through behaviour. They have responded positively and enjoy making circuits or making up games.