Promoting inner stillness: the value of a self-discovery programme for children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

Abstract

Dr Lesley Cullen‐Powell and Professor Julie Barlow are both chartered health psychologists and both work at the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in Health at Coventry University where Lesley Cullen‐Powell is a research fellow and Julie Barlow is a director. In this article, they assess the benefits of a ‘self‐discovery programme’ for children aged six to seven years attending one mainstream primary school. Staff at the school selected 18 pupils, many of them considered to be at risk of exclusion, to participate in the study. The children were allocated either to an ‘intervention’ or ‘non‐intervention’ group. The children in the intervention group experienced the self‐discovery programme over two terms. Results suggest that the programme was well received by the children. They became more confident, respectful and calm and they displayed less aggressive behaviours during the self‐discovery programme. Lesley Cullen‐Powell and Julie Barlow are cautious in the interpretation of their findings, but suggest that the self‐discovery programme has the potential to help children to feel more positive about themselves and their peers and to re‐engage with learning. The authors argue that a wider implementation of the programme, with a controlled study, is now required to evaluate the self‐discovery programme in more depth and detail.

RESEARCH SECTION: Nurture groups: a large‐scale, controlled study of effects on development and academic attainment

“…For example, Cooper and Whitebread (2007) have identified different models ranging from the classic Boxall nurture group to groups with different structures but informed by the same principles, and Binnie and Allen (2008) have considered the issue of groups that operate on a more part‐time basis. Other researchers have investigated alternatives to nurture groups where attendance at different types of facilities offering emotional and behavioural support is much less frequent or for a shorter duration (see, for example, King & Chantler, 2002; Renwick & Spalding, 2002; Cullen‐Powell & Barlow, 2005). In addition, there is little data to inform decisions about the age range or types of difficulty for which a nurture group is most likely to be helpful.…”

Interventions for Students with Behavioral Disorders: An International Literature Review

“…Behavioral Disorders, 32 (4), 267-281 A multitude of terms used worldwide include students with (a) emotional and behaviour difficulties (Renwick, 2005); (b) social, emotional, and behaviour difficulties (SEBD; Cooper, P., Arnold, R., & Boyd, E., 2001); (c) special education needs (SEN; Cullen-Powell & Barlow, 2005); (d) behaviour problems (Desbiens & Royer, 2003); and (e) emotional and psychiatric difficulties (Sage, 2002); aswell as (f) disruptive boys (Charlesbois, Brendgen, Vitaro, Normandeau, & Boudreau, 2003); (g) students that are seriously emotionally disturbed (Topping & Flynn, 2004); and (h) students that are aggressive who meet the American Psychiatric Association DSM-IV criteria for conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, or disruptive behavior disorder-not otherwise specified (DBD-NOS;van Manen, Prins, & Emmelkamp, 2004).…”

Using creative research methods and movement to encourage reflection in children

“…In general, the content of the sessions was derived from a mix of the embodied or somatic movement forms in which I have experience: primarily yoga (Pattabhi Jois, 1999), Authentic Movement (Adler, 2002) and Integrative Bodywork and Movement Therapy (Hartley, 1989). Similar movement programmes have been shown to reduce cortisol levels and improve emotion recognition in children (Stueck et al, 2016) and to be of value for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (Cullen-Powell and Barlow, 1995).…”