Responsive Care for Infants and Toddlers: Week 4 Study Notes

Responsive Care for Infants and Toddlers: Week 4 Study Notes

What is Self-Regulation?

• Definition: Self-regulation is the process of how individuals respond to stress and manage their associated feelings, thoughts, and behaviours to return to a calm state.

• Infants are born without the inherent ability to regulate their emotional states or stress levels.

• During the crucial first $3$ years of life, infants are entirely dependent on caregiving adults to calm and soothe them.

• The fundamental capacity for self-regulation is established within these initial $3$ years (Parlakian, 2024).

• Key Concept: Stuart Shanker states, "Children acquire the ABILITY to SELF-REGULATE by first being REGULATED."

What is Co-Regulation?

• Definition: Co-regulation is a process where one nervous system calms another. As defined by Jennifer Nurick, it occurs when a caregiver is attuned to a child, using their body language, tone and pitch of voice, and breath to establish a sense of safety and calm the child.

• Progression of Regulation: The development of self-regulation follows a clear progression:

  1. Adult regulates for the child: The caregiver is primarily responsible for the child's emotional regulation.

  2. Adult and Child co-regulate together: The caregiver provides support while the child begins to participate in the calming process.

  3. Child gradually develops ability to self-regulate: The child increasingly manages their own emotions independently (Parlakian, 2024).

• Co-Regulation Metaphor: Co-regulation is described as "the art of caregivers providing just enough support for a child to manage their emotions." It's visualized as a child's "emotion regulation bucket" where the child's self-regulation abilities contribute, and parents "add" support. As a child's abilities increase over time, parents naturally "add" less support.

• Co-Regulation Strategies (Jennifer Nurick, Psychotherapy.Central, 2021):

  • Offer comfort and reassurance.

  • Teach problem-solving skills.

  • Set clear and consistent limits.

  • Model emotional regulation.

  • Create routines and predictability.

  • Use reflective listening.

  • Validate emotions.

  • Provide a safe and supportive environment.

Educator's Role in Self-Regulation

• Key Practices (Parlakian, 2024):

  • Be responsive and attuned to children's needs.

  • Share your calm with children, understanding that your own calm is prerequisite to sharing it with others.

  • Talk about and validate children's emotions.

  • Soothe children and help them learn to self-soothe.

  • Provide calming spaces within the environment.

  • Model regulatory practices, such as deep breathing.

  • Maintain a predictable routine.

  • Regulate environmental stressors (e.g., loud noises, bright lights).

• Reflection Point: "Unless we find our own calm, we can’t share it with children." (Parlakian, 2024).

What is Empathy?

• Definition (Barbre, 2013, p. $75$):

  • Empathy is a complex social-emotional skill involving concern, compassion, and identification with another person's pain or feeling.

  • It differs from sympathy, which merely recognizes another person's suffering but does not actively engage with it.

  • Sympathy: "I feel for you."

  • Empathy: "I’m here with you."

• Broader Definition: Empathy is the ability to perceive and understand, or seek to understand, others' emotions, demonstrating compassion, care, and support.

• Link between Self-Regulation and Empathy:

  • Research indicates a direct correlation: children who exhibit higher self-regulation skills at $9$ months of age tend to show higher levels of empathy by $2$ years of age (Barbre, 2013; Grazzani, 2020).

  • The capacity for empathy requires an awareness of the distinction between one's own self and others.

• Developmental Progression of Empathy (Parlakian, 2016):

  • Birth - $6$ months: Infants ideally establish a secure, strong, and loving relationship with a primary caregiver, forming the foundation for future social-emotional development.

  • $6$ - $12$ months: Infants begin to use social referencing, looking to caregivers to determine appropriate responses to new or uncertain situations (e.g., looking at a caregiver's reaction to a loud noise).

  • $18$ - $24$ months: Toddlers develop theory of mind, understanding that other people have thoughts and feelings that differ from their own (e.g., realizing a peer likes blue best while they prefer purple).

  • $2$ years +: Children start to notice and name the feelings of others, often offering support or care (e.g., offering a toy to a crying child).

Educator's Role in Empathy

• Key Practices (Parlakian, 2016):

  • Model empathetic behaviour.

  • Talk about feelings, both one's own and others'.

  • Suggest various ways to show empathy.

  • Read stories centered around feelings and emotions.

  • Validate children’s emotions, acknowledging their feelings as real and important.

  • Utilize pretend play, especially with toddlers, as a means to explore different roles and emotional perspectives.

Learning Lab #3

• Value: $1\%$

• Task: Reflect on your understanding of self-regulation and empathy.

• Method: Complete the provided learning lab reflection handout.

• Duration: Approximately $20$ minutes.

• Submission: Submit the completed reflection for the $1\%$

Article Assignment

• Process (Week $4$):

  • Form article groups to discuss $5$ key points from your assigned article.

  • After class, independently create your own presentation (using PowerPoint, Prezi, Canva, etc.).

• Presentation (Week $5$):

  • Be prepared to present to your initial group during class.

  • Each student must independently create their own presentation.

• Presentation Requirements:

  • Bring your presentation to class for access.

  • Summarize $5$ key points from your article in your own words.

  • Develop $3$ discussion questions related to the article ideas.

Next Week's Preparation:

• Create your presentation with discussion questions.

• Submit your presentation to My Canvas Dropbox BEFORE the next class.

• Come prepared to present to your initial group (expected $8$-$10$ minute presentation and discussion).

• Bring the following:

  • Access to your presentation.

  • A visual aid for your peers (digital or hardcopy).

  • Your discussion questions prepared.

  • A pen or pencil to complete the peer/self-review form.

Article Assignment Rubric Reminders

Presentation (Total $15$ pts)

• Excellent ($15$ pts):

  • Submitted prior to class.

  • Clearly demonstrates $5$ key ideas connected to the article.

  • Accurately articulates key ideas.

  • Verbal and written presentation includes $3$ discussion questions related to the article.

  • Ideas expressed in student's own words.

  • In-class presentation is $10$ minutes.

  • Professional presentation; no spelling or grammatical errors.

• Very Good ($14$ pts):

  • Submitted prior to class.

  • Clearly demonstrates $5$ key ideas connected to the article.

  • Accurately articulates key ideas.

  • Includes $3$ discussion questions.

  • Ideas expressed in student's own words.

  • In-class presentation is $8$-$9$ minutes.

  • Professional presentation; $1$-$3$ spelling or grammatical errors.

• Good ($12$ pts):

  • Submitted prior to class.

  • Clearly demonstrates $3$-$4$ key ideas connected to the article.

  • Articulates key ideas.

  • Includes $2$ discussion questions.

  • Ideas expressed in student's own words.

  • In-class presentation is $6$-$8$ minutes.

  • Professional presentation; $4$-$5$ spelling or grammatical errors.

• Satisfactory ($8$ pts):

  • Submitted the presentation.

  • Demonstrates less than $3$ key ideas.

  • Vaguely articulates key ideas.

  • Includes less than $2$ discussion questions.

  • Most ideas expressed in student's own words.

  • In-class presentation is under $6$ minutes.

  • Professional presentation; more than $5$ spelling or grammatical errors.

• Unsatisfactory ($4$ pts):

  • Submitted after class OR not at all.

  • Lack of understanding of key ideas.

  • Did not include discussion questions or questions are unrelated.

  • Heavy reliance on language from the article.

  • More than $5$ spelling or grammatical errors; requires significant editing. (Recommendation: See Learning Support Centre).

• Important Note: Final grade may be changed at the discretion of the professor.

Peer Review (Total $5$ pts)

• Excellent ($5$ pts):

  • Peer was well-prepared, understood article well, explained concepts with insight, provided a visual, demonstrated confidence, and facilitated discussion based on article content.

• Very Good ($4$ pts):

  • Peer was well-prepared, understood article, explained concepts, provided a visual, demonstrated some confidence, and facilitated discussion.

• Good ($3$ pts):

  • Peer was prepared, understood most of article, explained some concepts, provided a visual, and facilitated a short discussion.

• Satisfactory ($2$ pts):

  • Peer was somewhat prepared, understood some of article, vaguely explained concepts, did not provide a visual, and did not facilitate discussion.

• Unsatisfactory ($1$ pt):

  • Peer was not prepared with explanations, visuals, or discussion. Did not seem to understand article or explanations were confusing.

• Important Note: Final grade may be changed at the discretion of the professor.

Participation Reflection (Total $5$ pts)

• Excellent ($5$ pts):

  • In attendance for full discussion.

  • Responded to all questions with reflection/thought and asked additional questions/made additional comments related to the topic.

• Very Good ($4$ pts):

  • In attendance for full discussion.

  • Responded to all questions with reflection/thought.

• Good ($3$ pts):

  • In attendance, with vague response to questions OR missed some of discussion.

• Satisfactory ($2$ pts):

  • In attendance, with some verbal contribution OR missed half of discussion.

• Unsatisfactory ($1$ pt):

  • In attendance, but no verbal contribution to discussion OR missed most of discussion.

• No Marks ($0$ pts):

  • Not in attendance.

References

• Barbre, J. (2013). Foundations of responsive caregiving: Infants, toddlers, and twos. Redleaf Press.

• Grazzani, I., Ornaghi, V., & Conte, E. (2020). Empathy in toddlers: The role of emotion regulation, language ability, and maternal emotion socialization style. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, $586862$. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586862

• Parlakian, R. (2016). How to help your child develop empathy. ZERO TO THREE. https://www.zerotothree.org/resource/how-to-help-your-child-develop-empathy/

• Parlakian, R. (2024). Sharing our calm: The role of coregulation in the infant-toddler classroom. Young Children, 79(4). https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/summer2024/rocking-and-rolling