SISU - Guiding Abilities in Children

18/10/2025

It takes the body time to calm — not just a few deep breaths.

When a child is overwhelmed, their nervous system can take 20–60 minutes to fully settle after a surge of stress hormones. That’s why calm can’t be rushed. They need safety, patience and connection — not pressure to “get over it.”

Understanding this is at the heart of brain-based parenting. Regulation isn’t instant; it’s built through co-regulation and trust.

This also demonstrates why a child needs longer than 5 minutes out of class after an incident.

There is a full range of calming strategy prompts in our toolkit below.

NOW AVAILABLE IN THE RESOURCE STORE - to accompany our series on social media.

The Child Brain Explained: How the Upstairs & Downstairs Brain Shape Behaviour, a Toolkit for Parents & Educators - available for only £3.75 until 3 November 2025

Electronic download available at link in comments ⬇️ or via our Linktree Shop in Bio.

16/10/2025

Did you know, estimates suggest that 25% to 40% of individuals with dyslexia can also have ADHD, and vice versa!
Dyslexia and ADHD are distinct but frequently overlapping neurodevelopmental disorders that can make academic and daily tasks difficult.
Both conditions share some characteristics like difficulty concentrating and poor memory, and can be genetically linked, although their neurological causes differ.
A diagnosis of one condition increases the likelihood of having the other.
This image from shows some of the challenges affecting both dyslexia and ADHD

16/10/2025

When a child is melting down, our instincts can take over — and not always the helpful ones.
We might lecture, rush to fix, or tell them to calm down… but these actually block co-regulation rather than build it.

Let’s talk about what not to do — and what to try instead — so we can truly help a child borrow our calm instead of our chaos.

IN THE RESOURCE STORE - instant electronic download with secure global checkout.

Managing Big Feelings: A Toolkit for Parents & Educators, a Parent and Educators Toolkit

Helping children turn big emotions into skills for life.

When a child’s emotions feel too big to handle, it can be overwhelming — for them and for you.
Managing Big Feelings: The Toolkit is your go-to resource for guiding children through strong emotions with empathy, clarity, and proven strategies.

What’s Inside:
• Step-by-step calming strategies for moments of overwhelm
• Practical activities to build emotional awareness
• Visual aids to help children recognise and name their feelings
• Scripts and prompts for supportive conversations
• Tools for parents, educators, and support staff

This toolkit is grounded in evidence-based approaches to emotional regulation. It’s designed to work in classrooms, at home, and in one-to-one settings, helping children learn how to manage their emotions in ways that are safe, healthy, and empowering.

Download now and start turning emotional overwhelm into growth, resilience, and connection.

Electronic download available at
link in comments.

16/10/2025

via The Therapist Parent

16/10/2025

Anxiety is driven by a lack of certainty about safety. It doesn’t mean they aren’t safe, it means they don’t feel safe.

This is exactly how it’s meant to work. The problem isn’t the anxiety, but when it stops us from doing things that are actually safe.

As long as they are safe, we don’t need to get rid of the anxiety.

To support them, without supporting anxiety to grow, ask

-‘How can we make the environment feel safer? (Sensory accommodations? Relational safety?);

or if the environment is as safe as we can make it,

- ‘How can I show them that I believe so much in their safety and their capability, that they can rest in that certainty?’

Let them know you believe them, AND that you believe in them. ‘I know this feels big and I know you can handle this. We’ll do this together.’♥️

09/08/2025

I really struggle in the heat. I’ve been thankful for a rainy, cooler summer so far (I realise that I may be alone with that!) because heat is unbearable for me. Many autistic people struggle to regulate temperatures (always hot or cold) or even realise their own temperature. (Don’t realise when they are cold/hot- interoception).

09/08/2025

Why you should put your child to work…

You may be thinking we are suggesting chores and giving kids extra jobs to help around the house. But, we are getting kids involved in “heavy work” activities for another purpose.

We’re building the child’s proprioceptive input! Many kids who have ADHD-like symptoms or sensory seeking behavior often need play that requires “heavy work” to calm their body and the brain.

Activities or even certain types of “chores” can send messages to the proprioceptive system helping regulate the child’s behaviors and emotions.

Some “heavy work” activities may include the following:

💪Carry a backpack and fill it with books or collect rocks and branches while on a hike
💪Push a wheelbarrow
💪Shovel snow
💪Play leapfrog
💪Climb a rock wall

You can use a variety of activities to help the child push, pull, jump or climb. For more “heavy work” ideas, grab the link below for several more ideas.

🔗https://ilslearningcorner.com/2016-05-heavy-work-activites-heavy-work-prevents-proprioceptive-dysfunction-and-fosters-proprioceptive-success/?utm_source=Google%20Ads&utm_medium=Test2&utm_campaign=Test3

09/08/2025