Why us?
The team at Calm at the Forefront understand the neuroscience behind brain function and development and how to apply this understanding to better manage behaviour. We have the knowhow to meet the needs facing educators and parents alike to ensure children in our care thrive.
Evidence Base:
https://mentallyhealthyschools.org.uk/factors-that-impact-mental-health/vulnerable-children/neurodiversity/
Neurodiversity and mental health
It’s important to note that neurodiversity does not refer to a mental health condition.
Likewise, neurodivergent individuals do not necessarily have poor mental health.
However, due to social expectations and a lack of support and understanding, neurodivergent pupils may be particularly susceptible to mental health problems - especially in environments where differences are not understood and respected.
The Science:
As a whole, the frontal lobe of the brain is responsible for higher cognitive functions such as memory, emotions, impulse control, problem solving, social interaction, and motor function.
Conversely, when we are firing from our Amygdala, which is responsible for processing fearful and threatening stimuli, we can become, what psychologist Daniel Goleman refers to as, “amygdala hijacked” whereby anger, aggression, fear, and stress can act as emotional triggers which cause sudden, illogical, and even irrational reactions.
With this in mind, we need to appreciate the importance of remaining Calm at the Forefront when we are managing, modelling and mastering behaviours.
Our priority is to maximize the time spent in the forefront. The place where we feel calm, connected and capable. Whilst we can survive elsewhere, the forefront is the place we thrive.
The Application:
Within the context of a classroom we are constantly being asked to strive for academic excellence, measurable against targets using assessments across the curriculum. Whilst this is one aim of education, and in fact our job as educators, we believe we must first seek for our students to be “calm” rather than “clever”. Students who feel safe, supported and calm will learn and thrive.
The How:
Resourced with years of practical experience in classrooms as well as participating in countless Student Support Groups (SSGs) and Care Teams with paraprofessionals, and staying up to date with best practice, the team at Calm at the Forefront have the skills necessary to promote wellbeing and deescalate undesirable behaviours. We have the know how to keep students and caregivers calm, and operating in their optimal brain zone more often. It is our vision to share this knowledge and experience so that more children and their caregivers experience calm. We are willing, and able, to share what has worked for schools, classrooms and families and have a deep understanding of the support resources and services available to people in their community.
The Need:
According to the key findings of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL)’s 2022 Spotlight publication, educators and school communities play a significant role in supporting and developing learner wellbeing. Stating that wellbeing is crucial to academic achievement, and wellbeing programs can support and accelerate students’ learning. As educators, in a demanding profession we are required to determine which non-teaching tasks to prioritise in order to best support students and their wellbeing.
Furthermore, The Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently launched “The Acceleration Imperative,” an open-source, evidence-based resource designed to aid instructional leaders’ efforts to address the enormous challenges faced by their students, families, teachers, and staff post covid and found unequivocally that “Feeling safe and valued is vital to a child’s development. In a healthy, supportive climate, students are engaged and take intellectual risks”. “Such a community is characterised by positive relationships between teachers and students, a place where genuine respect is the norm, and where all students feel they belong. In a nurturing culture, educators and family members share candid exchanges based on mutual interests and respect. Their social and emotional needs are part of the equation, too. This climate does not occur magically—rather, it must be cultivated through deliberate school-wide strategies, expectations, and rules. A safe and supportive school culture should reflect shared values and take into account the communities and cultures students bring with them to school. And it must include sound classroom-management practices and developmentally appropriate supports, including social well-being and mental health interventions. This will be particularly important—and challenging—in the post-pandemic era.”
https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlights/wellbeing-in-australian-schools