Page 97 - UNIT 9 Getting Brain Fit_Neat

What does this unit teach us?

WE DO NOT HAVE TO LEAVE IT TO CHANCE – WE CAN HELP ALL CHILDREN GET BRAIN FIT.

Getting brain fit involves 2 main elements:

STEP A. NEUROBIOLOGY: Helping children to change their neurobiology by meeting their needs & getting their DOSE in
helpful ways and by keeping stress levels low:

▪ To meet their needs well, children first need to get good at noticing their ‘affect’.
▪ This means they can then get 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 prevent things going wrong.
▪ We also need to help children plan ways to keep their stress levels low through daily Stress Busting activities.

Step B: EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS: Building 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.