Self-Regulation: A Parent's Guide

02/01/25 • 73 min

To kick off Season 4 of Edge of the Nest, Erica and Cassie are bringing back a popular guest—Teresa Nair. Thanks to our listeners who loved the "Neurodivergence and Twice Exceptionality" (Season 3; #31) episode, we’ve asked Teresa to join us for several thoughtfully chosen topics that hit close to home for many families—whether they have neurotypical OR neurodivergent children.

In this episode, our mini roundtable discussion is on Self-Regulation. We will discuss:

The umbrella term of Self-Regulation and what it all entails.
The developmental aspects of self-regulation: Understanding how we transition from co-regulation to self-regulation and the general time frames in which we see these play out in childhood.
The hierarchical aspects of self-regulation:
- Beginning with body awareness
- Building into emotional identification/self-knowing
- Connecting our internal experience to the current situation (contextual meaning)
- Creating an “adaptive response” to set us up for success
A Parent’s Guide to supporting regulation in your child:
- What NOT to do
- Becoming an interpreter of behaviors
- The process of joint problem-solving
- How taking care of ourselves as adults/parents leads to more regulated children
- Becoming the safe place for our children to practice and home in on their self-regulation skills.

Join us for our next episode where the three of us will discuss Anxiety.

**Resources**

Dr. Stuart Shanker
Debbie Steinberg Kunz of Bright and Quirky
- https://brightandquirky.com/about/
Debbie Reber of TiLT Parenting
- https://tiltparenting.com/about/
- Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide... (https://tiltparenting.com/differently-wired-book-2/)
The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child by Dan Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. (https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-yes-brain/)

**Contact Teresa**

[email protected]

***Music credits***

Uppbeat (free for Creators!); https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/clear-sky; License code: GQGN7ICA9D8IDOUT

In this episode, our mini roundtable discussion is on Self-Regulation. We will discuss:

The umbrella term of Self-Regulation and what it all entails.
The developmental aspects of self-regulation: Understanding how we transition from co-regulation to self-regulation and the general time frames in which we see these play out in childhood.
The hierarchical aspects of self-regulation:
- Beginning with body awareness
- Building into emotional identification/self-knowing
- Connecting our internal experience to the current situation (contextual meaning)
- Creating an “adaptive response” to set us up for success
A Parent’s Guide to supporting regulation in your child:
- What NOT to do
- Becoming an interpreter of behaviors
- The process of joint problem-solving
- How taking care of ourselves as adults/parents leads to more regulated children
- Becoming the safe place for our children to practice and home in on their self-regulation skills.

Join us for our next episode where the three of us will discuss Anxiety.

**Resources**

Dr. Stuart Shanker
Debbie Steinberg Kunz of Bright and Quirky
- https://brightandquirky.com/about/
Debbie Reber of TiLT Parenting
- https://tiltparenting.com/about/
- Differently Wired: A Parent’s Guide... (https://tiltparenting.com/differently-wired-book-2/)
The Yes Brain: How to Cultivate Courage, Curiosity, and Resilience in Your Child by Dan Siegel, M.D., and Tina Payne Bryson, Ph.D. (https://drdansiegel.com/book/the-yes-brain/)

**Contact Teresa**

[email protected]

***Music credits***

Uppbeat (free for Creators!); https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/clear-sky; License code: GQGN7ICA9D8IDOUT

Previous Episode

New Season, New Format!

We're about to kick off our fourth season here at Edge of the Nest, and we're doing things a little differently this time around. For Season 4, we are bringing back Teresa Nair to have mini roundtable talks around:

Self-Regulation
Anxiety
PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance)
Executive Function
School Refusal
Writing Skills

And if you have any additional topic requests, we would love for you to email us! Some of our favorite past episodes have been inspired by listener requests. You can email at [email protected].
Join us next month as we kick-off Self-Regulation as the first episode in this series.
***Music credits***

Uppbeat (free for Creators!); https://uppbeat.io/t/hartzmann/clear-sky; License code: GQGN7ICA9D8IDOUT

Next Episode

Anxiety from a Whole-Person Perspective

Have you ever experienced anxiety? What about someone you know and love? Statistically speaking, very few people will live their entire life WITHOUT being touched by anxiety in some way. For such a small word, the topic is MASSIVE. And we're left with so many questions. Like...why do some people experience so much anxiety that it negatively impacts their lives? Is it something we must live with forever? Is it just our genetics? What can be done besides “talk therapy” and medication?

In this episode, we will begin to unpack the underlying factors that lead to anxiety which helps us understand what steps to take when we are experiencing dis-ease. Join Erica, Cassie, and Teresa and learn about:

What does anxiety look like across ages and individuals?
What is anxiety trying to signal to us?
Whole-person approaches that are available to us BEYOND medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy which includes:
- Relational
- Communication
- Sensory
- Gut, Diet
- We are only scratching the surface in this episode!
And finally...how does SOME anxiety actually serve us?

It's time to take your power back. Anxiety does not have to rule you, your child, or your family. After all, “the opposite of anxiety is not calm—it’s trust” (Uniquely Human) and anxiety is the perceptual loss of the sense of security. You can find your way back to wholeness. We hope you will join us.

And don’t forget to check out next month’s episode where the three of us will discuss Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA).

**Resources**

Breaking Free of Child Anxiety and OCD: A Scientifically Proven Program for Parents by Eli R. Lebowitz (2021).
Uniquely Human by Barry Prizant: https://barryprizant.com/uniquely-human/
“Balance and Mental Health” blog post by Cassie Wilcox: https://www.thewishingwellot.com/blog/balance-and-mental-health
Related Training: “Balancing Behavior with Relational Attunement” by Erica Scheifflee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrKHk6Ok4J0
Related Episode from Edge of the Nest: “Compassionate Command” https://www.buzzsprout.com/1905380/episodes/11353565
Related Episode from Edge of the Nest: “Praxis” https://www.buzzsprout.com/1905380/episodes/12118331

**Contact Teresa**