Welcome to the 6 th Annual Ozad Conference & thank you to our conference sponsors

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Cory Spencer
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1 Welcome to the 6 th Annual Ozad Conference & thank you to our conference sponsors

2 Mind, Brain and Body: Self Regulation and Mindfulness in Children and Youth Dr. John Strang & Dr. Philip Ricciardi April, 2014

3 What is Self Regulation? Behaviourally, self regulation is the ability to act in your long term best interest, consistent with your deepest values Emotionally, self regulation is the ability to calm yourself down when you are upset and cheer yourself up when you re down

4 What is Mindfulness? Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgementally Segal, Z., Teasdale, J., & Williams, M., (2013)

5 The process of mindfulness Self management of thoughts and feelings. Becoming aware of one s thoughts can promote mental and physical changes. Through the practice of mindfulness the person can become more relaxed (breathing, heart rate, & muscle tension).

6 Self Regulation Brain Systems Two connected major brain systems: bottom up and top down Involve many brain structures, subsystems and functions Develop at different rates Development sensitive to experience

7 Through the process of mindfulness Acceptance of worries, thoughts, emotions, or pain feelings (mostly from bottom up brain system) can reduce impact. Promotion of cognitive change (i.e., thoughts are not necessarily the reality top down brain system).

10 Brain Self Regulation: Emotional Energization Mostly automated, bottom up subcortical emotion driven brain systems Tied to primary sensory signals & thoughtrelated feelings Efficiency related to temperament &early life factors

11 Stress Response & the HPA Axis Produces stress response reactive response of HPA axis Engages SAM (sympathetic adrenomedullary) fight or flight system N. M. Strang, 2006

12 Automated Emotion Processing

13 The benefit of Mindfulness It improves the ability to understand the relationship between thinking, emotional experience & physical action. Helps us to respond appropriately to stimuli instead of reacting impulsively.

14 Brain Self Regulation: Mind Controls Self directed, top down corticaldriven brain systems Tied to executive functions (EF) and learned skills Development at least until 25 years

17 About Mindfulness It is often learned through meditation exercises. The goal is to increase awareness of the present moment/surroundings. The focus of mindfulness is to become aware of changing internal and external stimuli

18 Mindfulness Meditation with Young Children: An Exercise Demonstration

19 Neural Maturation Changes in Emotional Regulation Somerville & Casey, 2010

20 Friends Watching Alone Average change in brain activity among adolescent participants (14 18 years) playing the driving game, either with friends watching, or with no audience. There is significantly greater activation in reward centers when friends are watching. No such effect is seen among adults Chein et al., 2011

21 Crashes per 10,000 Trips No passengers 1 Passenger 2 Passengers 3 Passengers Age of Driver Williams, 2003

22 Self Regulation Special Circumstance Expectations exceed capabilities? ADHD? ID? ASD? EF Disorder? Trauma or Stressor Related Disorder? Anxiety Disorder?

23 Nature Nurture Goodness of Fit Meeting children s needs essential for optimal outcome

24 Benefits of mindfulness training for children & youth Promotes self control and self management. The more self aware the child becomes, the greater the capacity to understand their experiences. Can improve attention, concentration and memory in children.

25 Slides to do Normal MRI of the brain study, tie to language development and poverty. Language development slide tied to poverty and expectations Epigenetics slide tied to education & parenting Canadian self regulation link. BC Surrey School Board information. Local study from UW psychology prof. Zone of proximal development slide tied to expectations Pair goodness of fit with olympic film

26 Marshmallow Task Re Visited (Kidd et. Al. 2013)

27 Introducing Mindufulness Meditation to Young Children Make it relatable, on a child s level. Realistic expectations Encourage discussion of their own feelings and emotions. Make it special! Using a timer. Guidance. Let it be.

28 Some resources

29 Genetic potential, learning & practice: Asar Science & the CBC, 2014

31 Breathing Space Mindfulness Exercise: John Teasdale, 2014

32 Meng Wu Lecture: Richard Davidson, Ph.D. 2012

What is anxiety? What does it look like? Why is my child anxious? What can I do to help my child?

What is anxiety? What does it look like? Why is my child anxious? What can I do to help my child? Group Activity: How do you know when your child is anxious? What is anxiety? Anxiety is a feeling of unease,