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Intro
Foster and adoptive children usually have different brain chemistry and maybe physical differences also. Primarily due to severe neglect.
Our main goal is to connect with our kids.
Learn about your child’s brain and teach them about it.
Use this more – prefrontal cortex (wise leader)
Use this less – amygdala (security guard)
The amygdala is what produced the fear response. When a child is operating here that cannot explain it, they don’t know how it happened, and they often lie.
Creating a healing home
- Understand your child
- Find the right ingredients for your child’s unique healing recipe.
- Remember the whole child
- Keep balance, perspective, and reasonableness
Nutrition and Hydration
- “Snack, Love, Play” by Dr. Purvis
- www.adoptionlearningpartners.org Connection between nutrition and your child’s behavior
- Many behavior problems are caused by dehydration.
- Eat natural foods and cut our additives.
Sensory-rich activities
- “Growing an In-Sync Child” and “The Out of Sync Child Has Fun” by Kranowitz.
- Children learn and connect best through multi-sensory experiences.
- Examples: have children do chores and cooking with you – sensory stimuli and connection.
Rituals
- “I Love You Rituals” by Becky Bailey
- Our children need concrete affirmations of our love and unconditional acceptance.
- Playful engagement and loving rituals
- Combine different things and create connections.
Brain Gym
- “Brain Gym: Teacher’s Edition” by Paul and Gail Dennison
- Moving with intention creates optimal learning.
- Specific movements, especially cross-midline movements, are even more powerful.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL4an7UC3wA
- Older kids – brainbreaks.blogspot.com
- Cross-midline movements get connections in the prefrontal cortex between your right and left side – this settles the brain.
- You can add cross-midline movements to “time ins”, transitions (to bed, leave home, etc.) and rituals.
- Adoptive and foster children need extra recess and movement.
Mind Up
- www.thehawnfoundation.org/mindup
- Provides children with emotional and cognitive tools to help them manage their emotions and behaviors, reduce stress, and sharpen concentration.
- Includes deep breathing, focus on senses, and explain to a child their own anatomy (wise leader, security guard)
Theraplay
- Child and family therapy for building and enhancing attachment, self-esteem, trust in others, and joyful engagement.
- Attachment is paramount, and attachment skills can be taught.
- Home play therapy is related to this, but focus should be attachment between child and you, not the toys.
Family Night (put it all together)
- puppets, role-playing, connecting activities (Therplay), games with neurologically organized movements (Sensory-rich and Brain Gym), activities that encourage acknowledging and labeling feelings, and times that empower and teach self-regulation (Mind Up)
- Pick and choose
- Experience, blend, mix
- No hurts, stick together, have fun, adult is in charge
