Page 31 - Course Handbook 2023

Skills don’t strengthen through a chat.

Help every child to get Brain Fit.

WHAT WE KNOW / UNDERSTAND PICTURE PROMPTS

WE SHOULD NOT LEAVE IT TO CHANCE – WE SHOULD HELP ALL CHILDREN
GET BRAIN FIT. Getting brain fit involves 3 main elements:
Step a. Help children to meet their needs & get their DOSE in helpful ways

▪ To meet their needs well, children first need to get good at noticing their ‘affect’.
▪ This means getting really good at being ‘Pleasant Curious’ – knowing what helps
them be at their best, and ‘Prickle Curious’ – knowing what stops them doing well.
▪ It is important to work with children to help them plan their DOSE

▪ It is also important to help children Prep4Best so they have a chance to reduce
stressors and prevent things going wrong.
Step b. Help children keep their stress levels low through daily activities

Step c. Build skills and sorting good scaffolds while skills are built
▪ Help children to work out goals: what do they want to be different? What do they
want to stop? Start? What are the tiny steps to reach the goal? Stop, Start, Action.

▪ We know from Unit 2 that building skills takes time. This means children need to
have good scaffolds to help them manage while their skills are still improving.

▪ When planning scaffolds, it important to plan a Pathway to Independence so the
child is not dependent on supports and scaffolds for too long.

▪ When building skills, children need lots of tiny goals so they experience success
regularly – we call them Dopamine Doses. This will help them to feel capable. It
will also mean they do not become too overwhelmed and go into stress response.

▪ When building skills, use a Strength Based Approach so they understand why their
brain responds in the way it does and when this is actually an advantage.