Tips for helping neurodivergent students self-regulate
In this video, Vanessa Castañeda Gill gives tips to support overwhelmed neurodivergent students, including using consistent rhythmic input, providing calming sensory objects, and incorporating movement to help with grounding and self-regulation.
Transcript
If you have neurodivergent students that get overwhelmed in class, I as an autistic person have some tips for you.
So the first thing that I would do to help neurodivergent students self-regulate is to give them some kind of consistent rhythm. Something like music that is a little mellow, but has a strong beat. Something that allows them to kind of do their little taps on themselves or something to pat consistently. That really helps ground students.
Another tip I would give is to give them some kind of object that has an interesting texture. It can be anything from a really soft and fluffy plushy to a cool sort of touchstone that's very smooth to kind of ground them.
The last thing that I would say is to give them some sort of movement to get energy out. And that can be through doing a little dance, uh, taking a little walk around the corner, uh, or even just spinning in circles, which was my personal favorite when I was younger.
For more of these different tips on self-regulation, you can visit us at socialcipher.com and if you have any tips for regulating for yourselves or your students, let me know about them in the comments.
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Key Takeaways
- Providing a consistent rhythmic element, like calm music with a strong beat, gives neurodivergent students a sensory anchor that helps them ground themselves without requiring them to verbally communicate distress.
- Objects with interesting textures, like smooth stones and soft plushies, can serve as low-profile self-regulation tools that students can use discretely without drawing attention to themselves.
- Sanctioned movement (a short walk, spinning in a safe space, etc.) can release built-up energy.
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