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Interoception in the Classroom: How Internal Body Awareness Shapes Regulation and Participation

In classrooms, students are expected to regulate emotions, maintain attention, transition between activities, and participate socially and academically throughout the day. When these skills break down, challenges are often addressed through behavioral supports, academic accommodations, or environmental modifications. However, an underlying system frequently influences all of these areas. Learn more about how interoception in the […]

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Thermosensory Signals and Self Regulation

Understanding how thermosensory signals and self regulation interact can support educators and therapists in thinking more broadly about the sensory context of learning. Thermosensory signals include skin temperature and the perception of warmth or cold. In adult research, these signals have been linked not only to physical regulation but also to how individuals experience their […]

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Sharing Information on Stimming Behaviors – Free Handout

Stimming behaviors are a natural and meaningful way many children regulate their bodies, emotions, attention, and thinking. While stimming is often misunderstood in school and community settings, a neuroaffirming perspective helps shift the focus from stopping behaviors to understanding what students need to feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. To support educators, therapists, and […]

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Working Memory and Self Regulation

In elementary classrooms, challenges with impulse control, following directions, and staying focused are often viewed as behavior problems. However, research continues to show that many of these difficulties are closely tied to working memory demands, not a lack of motivation or effort. Recent research took a closer look at working memory and self regulation skills […]

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What System Is Under Stress? A Simple Way to Understand Challenging Behavior

When behavior feels challenging, overwhelming, or confusing, it is tempting to focus on stopping it as quickly as possible. However, behavior is rarely the problem itself. More often, it is a signal that something beneath the surface is not working as smoothly as it could. Understanding what system is under stress is often the key […]

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Freeze Dance Impulse Control Song with Free Printables

Support self-regulation and executive functioning in your students with the Freeze Dance Impulse Control Song. It combines music, movement, and mindfulness to help students build impulse control skills. It’s perfect for the classroom, therapy sessions, homeschool, or movement breaks and it includes free printables to support instruction. You can download the FREE freeze dance printables […]

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Understanding the Emotional Intelligence Brain: How the Amygdala Shapes Student Behavior

When students seem to “snap,” shut down, or lose control, it is easy to assume they are being defiant or disrespectful. In reality, many of these reactions come from automatic processes inside the emotional intelligence brain, the system that helps us identify emotions, read social cues, and regulate behavior. At the center of this system […]

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