Looking Beneath Behaviour: Co-Regulation and the Five Domains of Self-Regulation

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