Stay cool and in control with the Keep-Calm Guru : wise ways for children to regulate their emotions and senses book is written by Lauren Bruckner, an award winning occupational therapist. Recently a parent got in touch with me requesting for a book review that would help her teenage aspie son to learn self regulation. This is for her and other such parents who are looking for an easy to read book, that their kid can follow to learn the crucial self regulation skills.
Part 1 is for the kids and starts off by introducing the Keep calm guru, Aurora. The importance of mind-body connection is discussed and in the words of the author : how crucial it is to 'feel most grounded to our own bodies, to our thoughts and to where we are in the moment'.
The chapter - The big four, introduces us to : Just Right, Slow and Tired, Fast and Wiggly and Fast and Emotional states. It explains how we feel when we experience these states/feelings. The next chapter deals with specific steps to get to the 'Just Right Feeling'.
The chapter - Anywhere Body Breaks, talk about activities that can be done anywhere using your own body and help activate the parasympathetic nervous system that helps us reach the Just Right state. These include deep breathing, Proprioceptive and vestibular movements, crossing midline, etc. Coupling these with positive self talk is the key to achieving self regulation and is discussed in depth in the remaining chapters of this book.
If your kiddo is at a stage where he/she can read and follow simple exercises and is ready to practice mindfulness to achieve self-regulation, then this book is perfect for you. You can purchase it on