Neuropsychological research reveals that a wide range of factors can alter the function of the brain in ways that influence behaviors. For instance, a child with ADHD might be overwhelmed by a chaotic environment, leading them to run about the room despite firm instructions to be still. Similarly, a child who has experienced adverse childhood experiences (from the loss of a parent to the stress or even humiliation of struggling over “simple” tasks due to an undiagnosed learning difference) might suddenly be sent into a survival state by any number of idiosyncratic and seemingly unpredictable triggering events.

Current research also reveals that many children’s behaviors are also influenced by a range of hidden and observable neurophysiological factors, from maintaining our postural control to integrating and filtering our sensory inputs. For example, children who do not regulate body temperature well may be thrown into a state of rage if they become either too hot or too cold—a problem that can be solved with an ice pack or a blanket, respectively.

Unfortunately, the connections between children’s bodies and their behaviors are not yet well-integrated into our cultural understandings about children. From teachers to parenting, adults are taught that “behaviors” indicate our children’s intents, and respond to them accordingly. These social expectations are set based on what most children can easily do most of the time as of a given age, and consequences flow accordingly. In our example, well-meaning parents and caregivers are more likely to punish the child for “throwing a tantrum” or behaving in an “unexpected” manner than they are to hand over that ice pack.

Yet for kids whose neurological development is atypical, when we impose these expectations without training them in how to improve the neurological functioning required to meet those expectations in the moment, we instead lay increase the child’s shame over their inability to meet those expectations. This does nothing to prepare them to better respond the next time, and in fact makes it even harder for them to act appropriately the next time, by entrenching triggers for a freeze, fight or flight reaction that physiologically impairs their decision-making capacity.

This is the starting point for our approach to social-emotional and behavioral curriculum at Cajal Academy. Rather than lean on the child to control aberrant impulses through a system of punishment and reward, we focus on understanding and therapeutically addressing the underlying emotional or physiological events that trigger those impulses in the first place.

From these insights and using the data in the child’s neuropsychological and physiological profiles, our multi-disciplinary therapeutic team develops Personalized Strategies that each child can use to self-monitor, self-manage and self-advocate for their needs as of each stage of the developmental or healing process. These may include sensory strategies, cognitive behavioral therapeutic techniques and other strategies developed in therapeutic settings, including the arts. The strategies selected will depend on the nature of the trigger, but also other aspects of the child’s sensory, movement and neuropsychological profile.

For some kids, this is a relatively straight-forward process. However, many children kids have multiple overlapping factors, any one of which can independently challenge their ability to maintain self-regulations. Our multi-disciplinary team collaborates to develop a cohesive set of strategies that the child can use to self-monitor across all of their triggers or areas of need, as they are identified, to match the inter-related nature of their life-lived experiences.

The strategies we develop to help a child self-monitor, self-manage and self-advocate for their needs are only effective to if the child learns how to apply them in the moment. This may require developing whole new skills, and letting go of negative feedback that they have emotionally absorbed.

To facilitate this, we take an extremely gradual and scaffolded approach, and embed coaching in how to apply a child’s strategies into all aspects of their program. All staff members coming into contact with a child are trained in the nature of the child’s challenges and how to predict their triggers, as well as the language and protocols to use in cuing the self-regulation strategies that have been developed for them. Coaching is embedded directly into the classroom, which are co-taught where appropriate by therapeutic experts.