SELLEST OSAST
In this episode of The Resource Table (ECRCNO), Sheri, current Director of the Central Region explores self-regulation, co-regulation, and behavior in Ontario’s early years settings, emphasizing a shift from stopping behavior to understanding the stress and internal experiences driving it. Drawing on Dr. Stuart Shanker’s five domains - biological, emotional, cognitive, social, and pro-social, the conversation frames behavior as communication and clarifies that self-regulation is not compliance and can fluctuate for children and adults.
The episode highlights co-regulation as the foundation of self-regulation and stresses.
- connection before correction
- regulation before reasoning
- safety before problem-solving
Sheri notes that educator regulation and well-being are essential when supporting children with developing self-regulation skills. She outlines supportive adjustments such as reducing sensory demands, using visuals and predictable routines, simplifying instructions, offering movement breaks, and scaffolding social experiences.
The episode closes with an invitation for Ontario resource consultants to join ECRCNO at ecrcno.ca.
00:00 Welcome and Topic
01:41 Look Beneath Behavior
03:03 What Self Regulation Means
04:30 Co Regulation Foundations
06:07 Behavior as Communication
07:52 Five Domains Overview
08:09 Biological Stressors
09:42 Emotional Domain and Adult Wellbeing
11:19 Cognitive Overload Supports
12:32 Social and Pro Social Skills
14:43 Shifting Practice and Key Takeaways
17:12 Closing and Membership Invite
