Oh, I remember the "terrible twos" that came when my son was 7.  The memory of his teacher calling us still rings through my mind.  She called to say our son had kicked a girl at lunch for sitting in "his spot" at the lunch table .  Now, keep in my mind, "his spot" was the self-designated place where he wanted to sit.  Kicking someone?  Oy.  When he came home and we had "our talk," his explanations for kicking her only made us more concerned.  He stated that it was "his spot" and he had sat there all year and she wouldn't move when he asked her, so he kicked her.  Was it seven year old logic or poor impulse control?  It was both, but it was the latter which concerned me.  His difficulty with regulating his reactions was not an isolated event.     

Learning how to regulate one's emotions, behaviors, and inner drives is a major task of childhood and again in adolescents.  Some children develop self-control with ease and grace, and then some of our children need direct support.  The Alert Program created by Sherry Shellenberger and Mary Sue Williams is a top notch program for parents, educators and others to help children develop their self-regulatory abilities.  Sherry and Mary Sue have developed games that can be printed from their website to use in accompaniment with the manual.  It's a must look for parents who have children who need to develop how to pace themselves.  Would it help my son who is now 24?  I don't think so, but he hasn't kicked anyone in a long time!

The Alert Program website is www.alertprogram.com. Mary Sue Williams and Sherry Shellenberger were guests on The Learning Connection with Dr. Sandler.  Click on to Sensory Integration with Mary Williams and Sherry Shellenberger and hear the show.

CWS July/08