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The idea behind this is to teach your child how to stop and think in the
moment, then slowly move towards anticipating what could go wrong,
remembering the strategy, and using it.
It isn’t until children have the capacity to remember past events and reflect on
what has happened that they are able to internalize and use strategies that
might work.
This is when the child develops insight into his behavior.
Self-calming requires the child to decrease the state of arousal he experiences
related to distress.
An adaptable child learns to recognize the internal state of distress and
hyperarousal, then finds ways to inhibit the arousal through strategies such as
closing his eyes.
A toddler may hold his hands together or put them in his pockets when told
not to touch a fragile object, thus inhibiting himself in an adaptable way.
An adult struggling to master a very difficult task may take a break to refresh
himself mentally and physically, thus avoiding an adult-sized tantrum.
Self-regulation develops through synchronized, reciprocal, and well-
modulated interactions between parents and their children.
© 2016 Mary-Ann Schuler – WWW.BABYSLEEPMIRACLE.COM
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