The Impact of Calming Strategies and Safe Spaces
On Young Children with Social/Emotional Difficulties
Sarah Northrop Heisey
Virginia Commonwealth University
Literature Review and Introduction
Conscious discipline.
According to Thomas and Ostrosky (2011), “Conscious Discipline’s use helps to
reduce aggressive acts, decrease children’s impulsivity and hyperactivity, and decrease
behavior and discipline issues, thus creating safer classrooms” (p. 3).
Conscious Discipline is a social-emotional curriculum developed by Dr. Becky A.
Bailey. According to the research, “Conscious Discipline integrates social-emotional
learning, discipline and self-regulation so you spend less time policing behaviors and
more time teaching vital life skills” (Loving Guidance Inc., 2015). This curriculum has
four components, which include, the brain state model, seven powers for conscious
adults, the school family and seven skills of discipline.
Brain state model.
The first component of Conscious Discipline is the Brain State Model. According
to his model becomes a frame for us to understand the internal brain-body
states that are most likely to produce certain behaviors in children and in
ourselves. With this awareness, we learn to consciously manage our own
thoughts and emotions so we can help children learn to do the same
(Loving Guidance Inc., 2015).
The Brain State model helps us to understand how emotions mandate behaviors . When
there is an understanding of what behaviors, each part of the brain controls, it becomes
clearer on how to apply appropriate behavioral interventions.
According to the Brain State Model there are three main parts of the brain that
control behavior and emotion. They include the prefrontal lobes, limbic system, and
brain stem. The prefrontal lobes are where our executive state is and according to
Loving Guidance Incorporated (2015),
Conscious Discipline empowers us to be conscious of brain-body states in
ourselves and children. It then provides us with the practical skills we
need to manage our thoughts, feeling and actions. With this ability to selfregulate, we are then able to teach children to do the same. By doing this,
we help children who are physically aggressive (survival state) or verbally
aggressive (emotional state) become more integrated so they can learn
and use problem-solving skills (executive state). When we understand the
brain state model, we can clearly see the importance of building our
homes, schools and businesses on the core principles of safety,
connection and problem-solving (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).
The limbic system is where our emotional state is and according to Loving Guidance
Incorporated (2015),
However, if we learn to regulate and integrate our internal state to be one
of relaxed alertness, we are able access our own brilliance. We are
empowered to change and make wise choices. An integrated executive
state frees us from past conditioning, attunes us to the feelings and
experiences of others, enables us to remain focused enough to set and
achieve goals, and allows us to consciously respond instead of
automatically react to life events (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).
Lastly, the brain stem is where our survival state is and according to Loving Guidance
Incorporated (2015),
Similarly, an upset emotional state is triggered by the world not going our
way. It limits our ability to see from another’s point of view. This upset,
unconscious state keeps us on autopilot so our words and tone match
those of key authority figures from our childhood. We revert to disciplining
the same ways we were disciplined, even if we know these behaviors to
be ineffective or hurtful (Conscious Discipline Brain State Model).
When a person is extremely angry or upset, they are down in their brain stem
and they are not able to rationally think about and come up with a solution to a situation .
The person has to be in their executive state to make rational decisions because this is
where higher level of thinking occurs. For young children, their emotions are even more
intensified and when they are feeling angry and upset, they go into survival mode and
undesirable behaviors occur. According to the Conscious Discipline model, using tools
and techniques to help children calm their bodies will allow them to have better selfregulation skills, which in turn will allow them to be more successful in the classroom
and in society. Helping children to become more proactive and less reactive is
important.
According to Dr. Becky Bailey, “Conscious Discipline is the cumulative effect of
this journey. It is an attempt to bring together the best of what we know about learning,
teaching, mental health, human development and neuroscience, and put it all in
concrete terms” (Loving Guidance Incorporated, 2011, p. 1).
Purpose
Social-emotional development is a vital and integral part of early childhood
education. “Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process by which children learn
to recognize emotions in themselves and others, manage their own emotions, develop
empathy, make good decisions, establish constructive friendships, and handle
challenges successfully” (Caldarella, Page, & Gunter, 2012, p. 590). “Emotional and
behavioral problems can occur frequently during preschool, as young children are just
beginning to develop language as well as capacities to regulate their thoughts, emotions
and behaviors” (Calderella, 2012, p. 590).
Over the years, there has been a shift in behavioral problems in classrooms, but
there has not been much change with behavior management techniques (Caldarella,
2012, p. 589). “Implementation of SEL programs has resulted in significant
improvements in school environments, student learning, and academic performance, as
well as reductions in negative behavior” (Caldarella, 2012, p. 590).
According to McMillian (2016), “the primary purpose of scientific inquiry is to
explain natural phenomena, understand the underlying relationships, and then, using
this information, to predict and influence behavior” (p. 6). With an increase of socialemotional difficulties in children, I decided to research social-emotional development in
young children with special needs and look specifically at breathing techniques and
using a safe place and their effectiveness. The curriculum that I am looking closely at is
Conscious Discipline.
The purpose of this particular study is to see if the techniques of breathing and
using a safe place are effective for young children with special needs who are dealing
with social-emotional difficulties. Do the interventions change unwanted behavior? Do
these particular calming strategies help young children with special needs develop selfregulation skills?
Significance
In early childhood education there are six domains of development and that are
all interrelated and the foundation for learning. The domains include physical,
emotional, creative, cognitive and social (Hendrick and Weissman). In early childhood
education, social and emotional development are closely linked and are usually
discussed simultaneously. Research by Ashdown and Bernard (2011) states
The Center on the Social Emotional Foundations for Early Learning
(CSEFEL) defines social-emotional development as the developing
capacity of the child from birth through 5 years of age to form close and
secure adult and peer relationships; experience, regulate, and express
emotions in socially and culturally appropriate ways; and explore the
environment and learn
Social emotional development in young children is vital to their success later in
life. According to National Healthy Start Association,
Social emotional development is a fundamental part of a child’s overall
health and well-being, as it both reflects and impacts upon the developing
brain’s wiring and function. Social emotional development is sometimes
called early childhood mental health or infant mental health . It spans from
how children interact with others to how they manage or cope with
adversity and stress. Social emotional development within the first few
years of life sets a precedent and prepares children to be self-confident,
trusting, empathic, intellectually inquisitive, competent in using language
to communicate, and capable of relating well to others (p. 1).
Early experiences help to shape a child’s social emotional development. Their early
experiences also help to shape their school success and their long-term experiences.
According to Taylor, Smiley and Richards (2009), “emotional and social
development of infants and toddlers provides the foundation for their future emotional,
social, and cognitive development” (p. 430). There is very strong evidence to support
positive behavior interventions (p. 430). These supports should be used in a variety of
settings such as the early intervention setting, the classroom, the home, with the
therapist/professionals that work with that particular child and in the community
environment (p. 430). Knowing this allows for me to choose an evidence-based socialemotional curriculum to use in this study.
References
Caldarella, P., Page, N., & Gunter, L. (2012). Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions of
Conscious Discipline. Education, 132(3), 589-599.
Conscious Discipline - Conscious Discipline. (2015). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Copple, S. & Bredekamp, S. (Eds). (2009) Developmentally appropriate practice in early
childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8 . Washington, DC:
NAEYC.
Hendrick, J. & Weissman, P. (2011). Total learning: Developmental curriculum for the
young child. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Hooper, S. R. & Umansky, W . (2009). Young Children with Special Needs (5th Ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ:Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.
McMillian, J. H. (2016). Fundamentals of educational research (7th ed.), New York:
Pearson.
McMillian, J. H. & Wergin, J. F. (2010). Understanding and evaluating educational
research. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.
Taylor, R., & Smiley, L. (2009). Exceptional students: Preparing teachers for the 21st
century. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Thomas, D., & Ostrosky, M. (2011). Implementing a New Social-Emotional Philosophy:
The Struggle in One Head Start Classroom. Early Childhood Research and
Practice, 13(1), 1-9.