Improving Emotional Regulation, Sensory Processing, and Social Engagement with Pediatric Clients
Functional Application of Polyvagal Theory, Brain Rewiring, and Sensory Processing Strategies
Children need to learn about the different parts of their nervous system and how they work together to regulate their emotions and behavior.
This in-person course will give you the tools you need to understand how the nervous system works and the tools to help reset your clients' nervous system using sensory strategies and other polyvagal techniques, including breathing, mindfulness, and movement.
REGISTER NOWAOTA Approved and Awards CEUs
About This Course
This Live Professional Development Activity Awards 6.0 Contact Hours (.6 CEU) at an Intermediate Educational Level for pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Educators, or other Professionals working with children.
Live In-Person Workshop
Date: September 15, 2023
8:00 am-4:00 pm
Location: 4870 Haygood Road, Suite 106
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Live In-Person Workshop
Date: November 10, 2023
8:00 am-4:00 pm
Location: 4870 Haygood Road, Suite 106
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Are you a pediatric therapist or professional working with children who are struggling with anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and frequent meltdowns?
Are they constantly on high alert, unable to relax or connect with others?
Have you tried strategies but are not sure what to do to help them?
These symptoms can be a sign of a dysregulated nervous system, which can interfere with their ability to learn, play, and interact with others...
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Help your Clients Develop the Tools They Need to Thrive in all Areas of their Lives
This course is designed specifically for therapists and professionals working with clients with nervous system dysfunction. You will learn practical techniques, strategies, and exercises that you can use in your clinical practice to support your clients in resetting their vagus nerve and improving their nervous system regulation. You’ll learn how to:
- How to assess your client's nervous system functioning
- Strategies to teach your clients how to calm their nervous system and reduce symptoms of anxiety, withdrawal, agitation, and chronic stress
- How to create personalized treatment plans and home programs that incorporate polyvagal theory principles
- An introduction to how specific modalities including Safe and Sound Protocol can be integrated into therapy sessions
The Piece That Was Missing...
I had been using sensory processing strategies for over 25 years to help children improve their sensory awareness and sensory integration skills.
I knew how to use sensory strategies to help with regulation. But I knew there was a piece that I was missing, a piece that would help the children who didn't appear to have sensory processing difficulties but could not emotionally regulate...
I knew that the sensory strategies worked, but I learned that many times the emotional regulation piece was being dismissed or disregarded...
Oppositional behaviors...
Anxiety....
Emotional shut down....
Feelings of overwhelm....
Inability to regulate outside the structured therapy environments....
I learned just how much the emotional regulation difficulties were impacting their ability to participate in daily living routines.
This was really was something much deeper then behavior and sensory processing....
And then, I was introduced to the polyvagal theory and limbic system rewiring.
This is the relationship between Sensory Processing, Emotional Regulation, and Social Engagement.
And the pieces of the puzzle came together......
What if YOU Could be the Key?
Have you ever worked with a parent who was so distraught with their child’s behaviors...but no one could help them because their child had no underlying sensory deficits…..
The child could function at school….but wasn’t fine at home…
The child could regulate in therapy...but they could not carry it over to home...
There was no physical reason why the child could not complete their self care tasks….but yet they struggled daily at home…
There was no diagnosis, yet their child was having regular meltdowns….and they could not leave the house….
The child’s emotions were so out of control, that they could not calm down and no matter what was tried, they could not come out of it...
And no one could help.
Emotional regulation difficulties can impact a child’s their ability to participate in their daily living tasks.
Now…
Imagine having the tools to help families who are stressed, angry, and frustrated….because their child’s nervous system is out of balance…
Imagine knowing there is a piece of the puzzle that is missing, a piece that would help the children who didn't have sensory processing difficulties but could not emotionally regulate....
What if YOU could be the key to unlocking the puzzle to helping the many families who are struggling in this area?
What if I said… the key is understanding the power of the vagus nerve, hidden trauma and rewiring the brain….
Understand the Development of the Sensory System
- Sensory processing impacts emotional regulation
- External factors impact the development of the sensory system and contribute to sensory processing difficulties
- Sensory processing deficits relate to one of more sensory system
Developing a strong educational foundation is the key to effective treatment. Understanding the root causes can guide your treatment and improve outcomes. We cover it all, starting in utero, where it all begins...
In This Course You Will Learn
How to effectively use therapy interventions, including polyvagal theory, to improve sensory processing and promote emotional regulation in children
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Identify the definition of sensory processing and the eight sensory systems.
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Develop one home program activity that includes co-regulation and emotional regulation strategies presented in the course.
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Differentiate between sensory seeking and sensory avoiding behaviors and identify one intervention for each.
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Identify the role of attachment in a child’s emotional regulation and identify one appropriate strategy to improve emotional regulation in relation to attachment.
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Identify how diet and nutrition impact gut health and how gut health impacts behavior and emotional regulation.
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Identify the three nervous system states based on Polyvagal Theory and analyze how each can be incorporated into a therapeutic intervention to improve sensory processing, emotional regulation, and social skills.
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Analyze the vagus nerve definition and develop one treatment plan with three strategies that target sensory processing via the vague nerve to improve emotional regulation.
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Develop one informed sensory processing strategy and one Polyvagal strategy that regulates the nervous system to be implemented into existing treatment plans to improve trauma response.
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Identify appropriate assessment tools to analyze a child’s sensory processing skills and ability to self-regulate.
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Analyze the most significant differences between Polyvagal and nervous system rewiring techniques; Safe and Sound Protocol, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Tapping, Guided Imagery, and Deep Breathing, and develop one treatment plan that includes at least one of the above techniques that will target the client’s emotional regulation.
Start on the Path to Brain Rewiring!
Gain a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of emotional dysregulation, sensory processing difficulties, and social engagement challenges, and how evidence-based interventions can address these challenges. Make an impact in the lives of your clients today!
REGISTER NOWTopics Covered In The Course...
Sensory Processing and Emotional Regulation
In this portion of course, you will learn an overview of the sensory systems and how they relate to emotional regulation including:
- The development of the sensory systems
- Sensory processing and sensory discrimination
- Sensory processing deficits related to each sensory system
You’ll finish this section of the course with a foundational understanding of a regulated versus dysregulated sensory system.
Factors Contributing to Emotional Regulation and Sensory Processing Development
In this lesson, we will be reviewing key factors related to emotional regulation including:
- Factors that contribute to abnormal sensory processing development
- An overview of emotional regulation, co-regulation, and self regulation
- The impact of sensory processing and emotional regulation difficulties on attachment
- The impact of sensory processing and emotional regulation difficulties on milestone achievement
You’ll finish this section of the course with an understanding on how emotional regulation and sensory processing difficulties can impact a child's overall development.
The Nervous System
This portion of the course explains Polyvagal Theory and how it relates to emotional regulation and sensory processing. We will be discussing:
- An overview of polyvagal theory
- The autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system branches)
- Fight or Flight Responses when the body is in stress state
- Identifying Alert states related to sensory processing and polyvagal theory
- Activation of the vagus nerve to assist in regulation
At the end of this lesson of the course, you will be able to identify nervous system regulation and dysregulation.
Assessment and Evaluation
This section of the course reviews some of the assessment tools that can be used to evaluate sensory processing and emotional regulation including:
- Functional Assessment and Case History
- The Sensory Profile
- Sensory Processing Measure
- Temperament and Abnormal Behavior Scale (TABS)
- Preschool Self-Regulation Assessment (PSRA)
- Body Perception Questionnaire (BPQ)
- Brain Body Center Sensory Scales (BBCSS)
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Neuroception of Psychological Safety Scale (NPSS)
We will also be discussing goal development and ICD-10 codes that are typically used with clients with nervous system dysfunction. At the end of this section of the course, you will have a better understanding of how to effectively assess sensory processing and emotional regulation.
Therapeutic Interventions
This portion of the course training discusses many of the therapeutic interventions to assist in regulating the nervous system including:
- Sensory strategies and sensory integration techniques
- Diet and Nutrition
- Mindfulness
- Breathing
- Co-regulation
- Polyvagal Theory/Vagus Exercises
- Brain Rewiring
- EFT/Tapping
- Sound and Frequency interventions including modalities such as Safe and Sound Protocol
- Neuromodulation
- Biofeedback
At the end of this portion of the course, you will have therapeutic tools and strategies that you can immediately start to integrate into your therapy practices.
This Course Is For You If...
- You are an occupational therapist, physical therapist, speech language pathologist, or other healthcare professional or educator who works with individuals with sensory processing disorders and emotional regulation difficulties
- You want to improve you knowledge and skills in promoting emotional regulation and behavior management in children and teens
- You want to gain a deeper understanding of the nervous system and how implementing strategies such as polyvagal theory can help regulate the nervous system, resulting in improved regulation
- You are looking for an immediate level course to advance your skills and knowledge base
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Kathleen Yopp, MOT, OTR/L
Kathleen is a pediatric occupational therapist and business owner with 25 years of experience in working with children with emotional and sensory processing difficulties.
She has her Safe and Sound Protocol certification, which is based on Dr. Stephen Porges's Polyvagal Theory. Kathleen takes a holistic approach to therapy, incorporating the whole body and addressing the underlying root cause. She believes in every child’s future and that children are the hands that change the world.
Kathleen loves helping children learn about their sensory and emotional needs and empowering families and caregivers by giving them the tools they need to be successful.
Kathleen's goal is to teach others about nervous system dysregulation's impact on self-esteem, relationships, daily activities, and the family unit. By equipping families with the tools and strategies they need, she believes they can be successful in helping their children manage their emotions.
Kathleen Yopp, MOT, OTR/L
Speaker, Author, AOTA Approved Provider # 0000001046
Financial - Author of this PD Activity and receives royalty payments for this PD Activity and is an employee at Helping Hands Therapy Services PLLC. Non-Financial - No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists/None.
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Improving Emotional Regulation, Sensory Processing, and Social Engagement with Pediatric Clients
Therapist Reviews
Shelby S., Occupational Therapist
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"This course helped me understand the role of the vagus nerve in everyday life situations. I am a pediatric occupational therapist, but this course really solidified what I can do to help my young children when they are working through their emotions every day, instead of just watching them and feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
Kathleen was able to take various broad subject matters that have taken me years to learn and refine them in a manner to help parents understand how sensory processing affects emotions and behaviors. More importantly, I now feel empowered to take action to support my children in a loving manner, providing them will tools that will help them their entire lives. This course will be a game-changer for all who take it."
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