A student can do it one day but not another
Explore why capacity can change with regulation, cognitive load, fatigue, predictability and context.
Teachers
Understanding the learner changes how we understand the behaviour.
Connect neurobiology, regulation, development and classroom experience so that support begins with what may be affecting participation and learning.
Start with the question or situation that brought you here. You can explore without having to know the explanation first.
Start with what is happening
What brought you here?
A student seems to refuse or avoid work
Consider what task demands, executive function, uncertainty or previous experience may be contributing.
Dysregulation is disrupting learning
Explore what the nervous system may need before expecting sustained attention, flexibility or problem solving.
Transitions repeatedly become difficult
Consider prediction, shifting attention, sensory change and the demands involved in moving between activities.
Consequences are not changing the pattern
Look beneath the visible behaviour and reconsider whether the current response addresses what is driving difficulty.
I want practical classroom supports
Connect understanding with realistic changes to environment, demands, communication and regulation.
A way through
Understanding before intervention.
- 01
Understand
Look beneath what you can see and begin with the whole person.
- 02
Explore
Consider the systems, experiences and conditions that may matter.
- 03
Consider
Bring the pieces together without assuming one explanation is the answer.
- 04
Find a way forward
Use understanding to guide supportive next steps and useful resources.
Explore
What might be relevant?
Different domains can interact. These are places to explore, not conclusions about the person.
Regulation
How nervous-system state changes access to attention, flexibility, memory and learning.
Learning & participation
Consider what enables a student to access teaching rather than focusing only on task completion.
Executive function
Explore planning, inhibition, working memory, initiation and cognitive flexibility.
Environment
Look at sensory load, predictability, demands, pace and classroom conditions.
Development
Place expectations within the student's developmental pathway and current capacity.
Relationships
Consider how trust, co-regulation and relational context shape classroom experience.
The person
Consider
No single piece necessarily explains behaviour.
Understanding develops when we consider how different conditions may interact for this person, in this context, at this time.
Possible contributors are hypotheses to explore, not conclusions about the person.
Find a way forward
Resources to help you understand more.
Educational information
These resources can help deepen understanding of what may be worth considering. They do not determine why a particular person is behaving in a particular way and do not replace individual clinical assessment, diagnosis, medical advice, safeguarding or other appropriately qualified professional support.