Investigators: Branko Celler, Bree Wagner, Emma Adams, Gayle Segar, Glenn Pearson, Heather Carmichael Olsen, James Fitzpatrick, Jane Latimer, John Boulton, Kaashifah Bruce, Karen Edmond, Martyn Symons, Maureen Carter, Sue Cherel, Tracy McRae, Trevor Mazzucchelli
Project partners: Fitzroy Valley primary schools, Kimberley Education Regional Office, Nindilingarri Cultural Health Service, University of Washington USA, WA Department of Health
While lots of children going to school in the Fitzroy Valley do well, some kids find school hard. They may have problems controlling their actions and mood which can affect their ability to learn in the classroom. This can be a big problem for children who have FASD.
Primary schools in the Fitzroy Valley are going to teach the Alert Program® in the classroom so students can learn to control their actions and mood. We call these skills "self-regulation". We want to find out if teaching them the Alert Program® will help improve their learning and behaviour skills. This might help them to get better at remembering things, solving problems, paying attention, planning and organising themselves. These "executive functioning" skills are important for children to engage with the demands of school life.
The Alert Program® teaches kids that their body is like a car engine. It can go into high speed, it can go into low speed and it can go into just right speed. The program teaches kids different ways they can change their engine speeds (level of alertness) by using 'tools' for their mouth, body, ear, eyes and hands to help them self-regulate and therefore learn more easily in the classroom For example, a student could be feeling hyped up when they enter the classroom after recess (high gear). The teacher or Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer might teach the student to do some chair push-ups (heavy work) to shift their engine (level of alertness) into just right gear so they can concentrate on their spelling task when sitting at their desk.