Terrin Henderson from Fair Oaks,
California, has served young families for years and in many capacities. She has
been an occupational therapist for 34
years, a childbirth educator for 21 years, a post-partum educator for 13 years,
and a health educator for 6 years, and now a Certified HUG Teacher for one
day!! These days she puts her many skills to her work at San Juan Unified
School District and Sutter Health where she facilitates new parent support
groups and teaches classes. Like many of us, Terrin also brings her personal experiences to
her professional life. Married for 31 years, she had the adventure of being the
mother of four, mother-in-law to two, and grandmother of 14-month old,
Liv.
I work as a pediatric
occupational therapist in a large California school district 4 days a week. The
children I work with are all special education students, ages 3 to 18, with
developmental and behavioral disorders such as autism, ADHD, developmental coordination
disorder, and emotional disturbances. One day a week I facilitate support groups
for new parents and teach newborn care classes at a local medical center. Recently, I discovered the HUG certification
program on the ICEA website. When I began to hear Jan teach about "Zones” and “SOSs” I had my first “Ah-Ha!” moment. I was delighted to connect the
dots between my two careers during my HUG studies.
Pediatric occupational therapists
often use a program called “How Does Your Engine Run? The Alert Program for Self-Regulation.” This program teaches children, and their
teachers and parents, how to keep their “engines” (bodies and minds) running
“Just Right,” rather than “too high” (over arousal) or “too low” (under
arousal) so that the student can attend, learn, socialize, and function to an
optimal level in their environment. Students explore what sensory inputs
can help them get to and stay in the “Just Right” state. Teachers learn to scan
their classes for their students’ alertness level and to change sensory input to
get their students ready to learn.
The Alert Program talks about"5
Ways” to change your engine level:
- Put something in your mouth (oral motor input)
- Move (vestibular/proprioceptive input)
- Touch (tactile input)
- Look (visual input)
- Listen (auditory input)
It was exciting to see that HUG Your Baby uses these same
principals to teach new parents how to look at their newborns and watch for "SOSs" - - Signs
of Over-Stimulation (their little engines "running too high") and to offer support to bring a baby to the "Ready Zone" (or “Just Right”). Sucking, swaying, swinging, swaddling, looking at a parent’s
face, and shushing or soft singing are other examples of techniques offered in The HUG material.
Special needs
babies often need extra support to get to the "Ready Zone," as newborns need help with self-regulation, just as school-aged children do. When effective calming techniques are used and a baby is still difficult to console, it is important that a health care provider
evaluate the child to determine if additional
professional help is appropriate.
Training those who work with new families in The HUG techniques will increase parents' confidence, make
parenting more enjoyable, and also help parents know when evaluation of atypical behavior is indicated.