The following are some tips I’ve gathered through training and life experience on how to approach students who have experienced trauma and anxiety when they are escalated.
- Slow yourself down, soften/lower your voice, soften facial expression and relax your posture.
2. Take a step back and breathe. An escalated child can not regulate with an escalated adult.
3. Make an empathy statement to the child. “I understand you are frustrated. I get frustrated about ____ also.”
4. Practice skills with the student that settle (calming strategies: deep breathing, picture a calming space, squeeze a soft ball) or move with the student to release energy (take a walk, run the track, do wall push-ups, jump up and down).
5. Stay connected to the student. You are doing all of these things with the student and for the student. The more they feel connected to you, the easier it will be for them to regulate themselves.
