Preventing Dysregulation – Proactive Strategies for Staying at Baseline

Welcome to the final installment of the “Back to Baseline” series! In Part Seven, we focus on proactive strategies for helping children remain at baseline—preventing dysregulation before it happens.

While reactive tools are important for de-escalating challenging moments, creating a supportive environment, meeting basic needs, and teaching self-awareness can make a significant difference in a child’s ability to maintain emotional and sensory balance.

This article explores practical, preventative strategies, including sensory diets, daily movement, and meeting essential physical needs for preventing regulation and helping kids stay at baseline.

Proactive strategies focus on creating routines, environments, and habits that support ongoing regulation and equipping children with the skills to recognize and address early signs of dysregulation in themselves.

Preventative Strategies to Avoid Dysregulation

Create Predictable Routines

Consistent routines reduce uncertainty, which is a common trigger for dysregulation in children. Predictable schedules help children feel secure and allow them to mentally prepare for transitions.

• Use visual schedules or checklists to help your child see what’s coming next. A visual helps turn the routine into something tangible your child can look at.
• Build breaks and downtime into the routine between high-energy or demanding tasks to avoid cognitive or emotional fatigue.

Sensory Diet

A sensory diet is a structured plan of sensory-based activities designed by an occupational therapist (OT) to meet your child’s unique sensory needs.

Just like a nutritional diet provides the body with the proper nutrients, a sensory diet provides the sensory input a child’s nervous system needs to stay regulated throughout the day.

Sensory diets are highly individualized and tailored to the child’s preferences, triggers, and sensory profile.

Examples of Sensory Diet Activities:

• Proprioceptive Input: Heavy work activities like pushing, pulling, carrying, or climbing. For instance, a child might push a heavy box, carry groceries, or engage in resistance band exercises.
• Vestibular Input: Movement activities like swinging, spinning, or balancing on a wobbleboard.
• Calming Input: Deep-pressure activities like using a weighted blanket, rolling tightly in a blanket, or engaging in slow, rhythmic rocking.
• Stimulating Input: Jumping on a trampoline, running, or playing with textured sensory bins for tactile stimulation.

How to Implement a Sensory Diet

• Consult with an OT to develop a personalized sensory diet for your child. The OT will assess your child’s sensory preferences, challenges, and triggers to create a plan that fits their unique needs.
• Build sensory activities into the child’s daily routine. For example, include calming input before school to prepare for the day, movement breaks between learning tasks, and deep pressure input before bedtime.
• Adjust the sensory diet over time. As your child grows and their needs change, their OT can help update the plan so it remains effective.

Why Sensory Diets Work

Sensory Diets are an excellent tool for preventing dysregulation because they proactively provide the sensory input your child needs.

This reduces or prevents overstimulation or under-stimulation, reducing the risk of dysregulation, sensory seeking, or sensory overload and supporting consistent regulation.

Reduce Environmental Stressors

Environmental factors causing sensory overload are a major source of dysregulation for children, especially in busy classrooms or multi-child households.

Proactively creating a calm and supportive space and providing access to sensory tools can prevent sensory overload and dysregulation.

• Noise Management: Reduce background noise by turning off unnecessary electronics or using white noise machines. Provide noise-canceling headphones in loud environments.
• Lighting Adjustments: Replace harsh fluorescent lights with softer bulbs or allow natural light to flow into the space.
• Decluttering: Organize spaces to reduce visual overstimulation. Use storage bins to keep toys, books, or learning materials tidy and out of sight when not in use.
• Comfortable Spaces: Create cozy areas like a sensory corner with calming tools such as weighted blankets, beanbags, or lava lamps.

Building Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation Skills

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, thoughts, behaviors, values, and characteristics.

For kids, self-awareness begins with body awareness, like recognizing and understanding cues of hunger and thirst, and basic self-perception skills, such as identifying things they like and dislike.

As they get slightly older, kids start developing emotional awareness, such as identifying and understanding that they’re feeling happy while playing with their friends.

Later, children learn self-reflection, which is the ability to look back on past actions and understand what they felt and why they acted that way.

Teaching Kids to Recognize Signals of Dysregulation

Teaching children to recognize and respond to the early signals of dysregulation will help them learn to manage their emotions and sensory needs independently.

This self-awareness reduces the likelihood of meltdowns because children can recognize their emotions and needs early and self-regulate.

• Identify Physical and Emotional Signals:
  • Help children notice what dysregulation feels like in their bodies.
    • Physical Signs: Faster breathing, clenched fists, tense shoulders, restlessness, or feeling fidgety.
    • Emotional Signs: Feeling angry, frustrated, anxious, or overwhelmed.

• Use Tools like:
  • Body Maps: Have children color or label areas of their body where they feel stress, tension, or specific emotions.
  • Emotion Check-ins: Encourage children to regularly name how they feel, using emotion wheels or charts to support identification.
• Role-Play Scenarios:
  • Practice identifying and managing dysregulation in low-stress moments. For example:
    • “What do you notice in your body when you start to feel angry?”
    • “What tools could you use if you’re feeling too overwhelmed to focus?”

Daily Movement and Physical Activity

Regular physical activity is one of the most effective ways to help prevent dysregulation.

Movement provides an outlet for energy, supports sensory regulation, and can even help balance emotions.

Incorporating intentional physical activities into a child’s daily routine not only supports their physical health but also promotes mental and emotional well-being.

How Much Physical Activity Do Kids Need?

Kids ages 5 to 17 should get at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day.

Most of the 60 minutes should be cardiovascular activities that make their heart rate faster.

Kids should participate in a variety of physical activities to develop different motor skills and muscles.

Why Movement Matters

• Physical activity offers proprioceptive input, which can calm the nervous system and help children feel grounded.
• It provides an opportunity for children to release built-up tension or restlessness, making it easier to focus and stay regulated throughout the day.
• Activities that involve mindfulness, such as yoga or stretching, can also help children build self-awareness and develop calming strategies.

Movement Activities

1. Daily Walks or Outdoor Play:
   • Walking outdoors provides fresh air and exposure to natural sensory inputs, such as sunlight, the sounds of birds, or the feel of a breeze.
   • Outdoor play, like climbing, running, or playing on swings, offers both proprioceptive and vestibular input.
2. Yoga and Stretching:
   • Yoga combines gentle movement, deep breathing, and mindfulness, making it a versatile tool for regulation. Simple poses like Child’s Pose or Downward Dog can calm the nervous system. Check out these yoga poses for sensory seekers.
   • Stretching releases muscle tension and improves body awareness, helping children feel more connected to their bodies.
3. Dancing:
   • Dancing is a fun, engaging way to combine movement and self-expression. It can be as structured or free-form as the child prefers, allowing them to move in a way that feels natural and enjoyable.
4. Active Play and Organized Sports:
   • Activities like jumping on a trampoline, throwing a ball, or engaging in team sports provide structured ways for children to stay active and regulate their energy levels.
   • For children who prefer more independent activities, riding a bike or practicing simple drills can be equally effective.

How to Incorporate Movement into the Day

There are many ways to incorporate movement into your child’s day.

• Make movement part of your daily routines, for example, walking to and from school each day.
• Schedule movement breaks throughout the day, especially during transitions or after periods of focused activity.
• Alternate between calming activities (e.g., yoga or stretching) and energizing activities (e.g., running or dancing) based on your child’s current needs.
• Encourage active play after school to help children decompress and release energy built up during the day.
• Get active as a family by engaging in activities together like bike riding or hiking.

Meet Basic Needs

A child’s ability to regulate their emotions and behaviors is closely tied to their physical well-being.

Dysregulation often occurs when basic needs such as hunger, sleep, or hydration aren’t adequately met. Ensuring these needs are consistently addressed creates a strong foundation for maintaining baseline.

Why Meeting Basic Needs is Essential:

• Physical discomfort, like hunger or fatigue, can trigger the fight-or-flight response, making it harder for children to manage emotions or focus on tasks.
• Regular meals, hydration, and sleep stabilize the body’s systems, helping the nervous system stay balanced and regulated.

Key Areas to Address

1. Nutrition:
   • Regular meals and snacks: Ensure children eat at consistent intervals throughout the day to maintain stable blood sugar levels. Low blood sugar can lead to irritability, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
     • Offer balanced snacks that combine protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates (e.g., apple slices with peanut butter, yogurt with granola).
     • Avoid overly sugary snacks, which can cause blood sugar spikes followed by crashes.
   • Involve your child in meal planning: Letting children help plan or prepare meals can increase their interest in eating and make mealtime more enjoyable.
2. Sleep:
   • Consistent Sleep Schedule: Children thrive on routine, and going to bed and waking up at the same time every day helps regulate their internal clock.
   • Calming Bedtime Routine: Create a predictable, soothing routine before bed, such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, or using a weighted blanket. Avoid screens and stimulating activities an hour before bedtime to promote better sleep.
   • Sleep Environment: Ensure their bedroom is conducive to rest, with soft lighting, minimal noise, and a comfortable mattress or bedding.
3. Hydration:
   • Access to Water Throughout the Day: Dehydration can contribute to fatigue, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Make water easily accessible by providing a water bottle the child can carry throughout the day.
   • Hydration Reminders: Encourage children to take small sips of water regularly, especially after physical activity or during warm weather.

How to Integrate These Strategies

• Combine Movement and Basic Needs: Pair physical activity with opportunities to meet basic needs, such as offering a water break after a walk or a healthy snack after active play.
• Track and Adjust: Observe your child’s behavior and energy levels to identify patterns. If they often seem dysregulated at certain times, consider whether they may need more movement, food, or rest.
• Collaborate with Professionals: If sleep, nutrition, or hydration are ongoing challenges, consult with healthcare providers or occupational therapists for tailored guidance.

Key Takeaways

• Preventative strategies like sensory diets, daily movement, and predictable routines help maintain regulation and reduce the likelihood of dysregulation.
• Meeting basic physical needs—such as proper nutrition, hydration, and sleep—is essential for emotional and sensory balance.
• Helping kids build self-awareness allows them to recognize early signs of dysregulation and use strategies to self-regulate independently.
• By proactively supporting regulation, caregivers can help children stay balanced, reducing stress and creating opportunities for consistent growth and learning.

By implementing proactive strategies, you’re giving children the tools and environment they need to remain at baseline and reduce the frequency and intensity of dysregulation.

From structured routines and sensory diets to teaching self-awareness and meeting basic physical needs, these approaches create a strong foundation for emotional and sensory balance.

As you wrap up the “Back to Baseline” series, remember that every small, intentional step you take can have a lasting impact on a child’s ability to regulate, grow, and flourish.

Together, these strategies empower children to feel more confident, secure, and ready to take on the world.

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