Overview
Experiencing challenges in life is not limited to those with the diagnosis. Many children experience difficulty with executive functioning, elevated stress and anxiety, difficulty with focusing on task in conversations, regulating energy and emotions, managing behavior, and creating positive relationships.
Often, these challenges can be associated with a different way of thinking, learning, and seeing the world – Neuro diversity. The great news is that neural diversity brings up with it so many gifts and talents – we know that your child has much to offer the world, and we want to help you unlock the gifts of their neurodiversity.
We are delighted to offer the Davis concepts for life – early years program, which has been developed with a unique approach that is gentle, respectful, and that really makes a difference. The program is grounded in our philosophy. And celebrating neural divers, respecting every individual, nurturing growth, and building on each child strings to overcome challenges.
Davis Concepts for Life – Early Years is a holistic, foundational program that provides powerful solutions and wrap-around support for children who are struggling with focus, behavior, relationships, self-regulation, executive functioning, or meeting developmental milestones.
These children are often bright, curious, creative and kind-hearted; however, these strengths can be overshadowed by the challenges they face. Davis Concepts for Life – Early Years has a clear, positive focus, enabling the child to build on their strengths and overcome challenges. The program uses a team approach to supporting the child, with their support person being coached and empowered alongside the child.
The program generally takes between 30 and 40 hours, depending on the needs of the individual. This can be structured in a way that works naturally with the individual and their support person.
Who would benefit from a Davis Concepts for Life – Early Years Program?
Any child under the age of eight, who is struggling with focus, behavior, relationships, self-regulation, executive functioning, or meeting developmental milestones can benefit from this program.
What is involved in a Concepts for Life – Early Years Program?
The Davis Concepts for Life- Early Years program takes a unique approach in supporting autistic individuals by helping them to unlock their unique gifts and intelligence, and to participate more fully in life in a way that empowers and fosters growth.
Our program helps to develop the understanding of fundamental life concepts that enable them to make sense of, and interact with the world, in way that is easeful and eliminates their confusions.
This is achieved through communication and visual learning, creating each life concept as a 3D real-life model using modelling clay, allowing images to ‘do the talking’ rather than using too many words, which can often cause confusion.
The understanding of each concept is then integrated through fun experiences, opening the doorway to new learning and development, with the individual experiencing each concept as being a natural part of everyday life.
Davis Concepts for Life – Early Years is a four-step program.
Step 1: Tools for the Helper
Each child’s support person learns two mental strategies to help them remain calm and relaxed while working with their child/student. These tools are called ‘Release’ and ‘Dial’.
‘Release’ helps the support person to ease any stress, tension or anxiety they may be feeling. Neurodiverse individuals are often highly sensitive to their environment and the emotions of other people around them. When working with these children, if we are feeling anxious, we can inadvertently add to their own sense of anxiety. Maintaining a calm state provides a calm environment for the child and enhances their receptiveness to learning.
‘Dial’ helps the support person to determine and self-regulate their personal energy levels. This promotes positive interactions with others, particularly the child receiving the program.
Both release and dial enable coregulation – the process whereby the support person can use their own sense of calmness to help the child manage their emotions, in turn fostering self-regulation skills.
Step 2: Self-regulation Tools for the Participant
The participant (child) is guided to learn and use several focusing tools and self-regulation strategies. This process includes:
Auditory Orientation – the participant listens to a specifically engineered sound through headphones leading up to and, if necessary, during program sessions. This auditory stimulus – affectionately referred to as the ‘Davis ting’ was designed by Ron Davis to help each participant to develop accurate, stable perceptions and the ability to achieve a calm focus.
Release – a breathing tool for relaxation, relieving tension and to help manage stress and anxiety levels.
Dial – a mental imagery tool used to help monitor energy levels and maintain rapport with others.
Self-Orientation– this consolidates the feeling of focus established by the Auditory Orientation and enables the participant to achieve and maintain focus without needing to use the auditory orientation sound.
Koosh ball exercises – a fun, interactive way to practice maintaining focus, while strengthening neural pathways and improving balance and co-ordination. These exercises can be practiced with the assistance of the Davis Facilitator and/or the child’s support person.
Step 2: Self-regulation Tools for the Participant
The participant (child) is guided to learn and use several focusing tools and self-regulation strategies. This process includes:
Auditory Orientation – the participant listens to a specifically engineered sound through headphones leading up to and, if necessary, during program sessions. This auditory stimulus – affectionately referred to as the ‘Davis ting’ was designed by Ron Davis to help each participant to develop accurate, stable perceptions and the ability to achieve a calm focus.
Release – a breathing tool for relaxation, relieving tension and to help manage stress and anxiety levels.
Dial – a mental imagery tool used to help monitor energy levels and maintain rapport with others.
Self-Orientation– this consolidates the feeling of focus established by the Auditory Orientation and enables the participant to achieve and maintain focus without needing to use the auditory orientation sound.
Koosh ball exercises – a fun, interactive way to practice maintaining focus, while strengthening neural pathways and improving balance and co-ordination. These exercises can be practiced with the assistance of the Davis Facilitator and/or the child’s support person.
Step 3: Davis Early Years Life Concepts
The focus of Life Concepts Early Years is to facilitate solid understanding of the following fundamental ideas, as they relate to both Self and others:
- Self
- another /others
- change
- consequence
- cause and effect
- before and after
- time
- sequence
- order and disorder
This is achieved through explicit teaching of each concept. Each concept is introduced through demonstration and experienced together with the child in a fun way that appeals to their interest. Then the child is guided to create a clay model of their own choosing, which visually represents that concept. For example, they may choose to depict the life concept of change by making a flat balloon becoming a full balloon out of clay.
Step 4: Integration of Life Concepts
The most effective way to consolidate learning is for the child to have many fun and meaningful experiences that serve to embed a practical understanding of how each life concept exists in the world.
After each concept is taught and mastered at the clay modelling table, the child needs to have lots of opportunities to recognize and experience the concept in the real world, with help from their support person. These experiences are essential, as they enable the participant to integrate the concept into their own identity and establish an internal ‘filing system’ that provides the foundations for future thinking and behavior.
Physically interacting with these concepts in the surrounding environment deepens the child’s understanding of these fundamental aspects of life. It also enables them to apply this understanding across a variety of day-to-day situations, which develops their executive functioning skills.
A series of individualized exercises enhances this learning, facilitating the participant towards fostering self-responsibility and creating order for themselves. These exercises include:
- Establishing order in the physical environment - Learning how to use the concepts to establish order, determine order, and create and maintain order.
- Creating new behaviors - Exploring behaviors which have had negative consequences, and using the concepts above, create new, more positive outcomes and strategies.
Step 4: Integration of Life Concepts
The most effective way to consolidate learning is for the child to have many fun and meaningful experiences that serve to embed a practical understanding of how each life concept exists in the world.
After each concept is taught and mastered at the clay modelling table, the child needs to have lots of opportunities to recognize and experience the concept in the real world, with help from their support person. These experiences are essential, as they enable the participant to integrate the concept into their own identity and establish an internal ‘filing system’ that provides the foundations for future thinking and behavior.
Physically interacting with these concepts in the surrounding environment deepens the child’s understanding of these fundamental aspects of life. It also enables them to apply this understanding across a variety of day-to-day situations, which develops their executive functioning skills.
A series of individualized exercises enhances this learning, facilitating the participant towards fostering self-responsibility and creating order for themselves. These exercises include:
- Establishing order in the physical environment - Learning how to use the concepts to establish order, determine order, and create and maintain order.
- Creating new behaviors - Exploring behaviors which have had negative consequences, and using the concepts above, create new, more positive outcomes and strategies.
What kind of results do people see with the Davis Life Concepts – Early Years Program?
Children who have completed the program have experienced many positive changes. Below are some general trends that have been reported back to us by Davis Facilitators, parents, teachers and the children themselves:
- better self-regulation (for e.g., able to calm themselves down)
- showing much less anxiety
- reduced stress levels
- less resistance to change
- a willingness to try new things
- an increase in their willingness and capacity to play with others
- increased understanding of cause and effect
- can follow instructions using the ideas of before and after
- improved behavior
- will go along with others’ ideas or suggestions in work groups and play
- understands why (i.e. improved reasoning), and
- more willing to share their own ideas.
What are the options for accessing this program?
We know that every child has unique needs. For this reason, there can be no one-size-fits-all delivery solution. We have a variety of options for you to choose from depending on the needs of the child you are supporting.
What are the options for accessing this program?
Every individual has unique needs. We have developed a variety of delivery options to choose from, so you can find the best solution to suit your needs. Contact us.
*Information used with permission from davismethod.com and Davis Autism International
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