Trauma and ADHD: supporting children at school and home

Nip in the Bud® Podcast - The children's mental health health charity

Today I speak with Jolene Ironside. Jolene is an Integrative Counsellor using the Arts, ADHD Coach and holistic therapist who specialises in children and young people, families, trauma, sensory processing and neurodivergence.
She is a trained trauma therapist, sensory profiler and skilled in nervous system regulation. Jolene brings the mind and body into her practice, providing a holistic approach to support her clients.
Summary
In this episode of the Nip in the Bud podcast, Jolene shares her extensive journey from the travel industry to becoming a holistic therapist and counselor specializing in working with children and young people, particularly those with ADHD and trauma. She discusses the importance of understanding trauma, the role of the nervous system in emotional regulation, and how to create supportive environments in schools. Jolene emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to ADHD, focusing on strengths rather than deficits, and provides practical strategies for parents and educators to help children thrive.
Throughout our conversation we look at different strategies that Jolene encourages those who care for children to use. I think one of the main takeaways for me is to make sure, as parents or professionals, we are recognising and responding to the needs we see in front of us with speed. We can make small tweaks and changes to the environment, to routines, to our expectations and to the resources we use. These changes will help prevent a child from getting to the point of overwhelm. Once in overwhelm the child becomes dysregulated and it is far more challenging to help them. Prevention seems to be key here.
Listen for ideas on how to help those children you care for from burn out or meltdowns that in some cases can be avoided.
Main takeaways

• Jolene's journey includes diverse experiences in therapy and education.
• Trauma is an emotional and psychological reaction to uncontrollable events.
• Understanding autonomic responses helps shift the narrative from 'bad behavior' to 'survival response'.
• Nervous system regulation is key to emotional well-being.
• Children need supportive environments to thrive, not just behavior management.
• ADHD is a spectrum of traits with both strengths and challenges.
• Mindfulness and movement breaks can significantly aid focus and emotional regulation.
• Co-regulation involves providing cues of safety to dysregulated children.
• Creating sensory circuits can help children process stress effectively.
• It's essential to celebrate children's uniqueness and strengths.

keywords
trauma, ADHD, nervous system regulation, holistic therapy, education, mindfulness, emotional regulation, neurodiversity, children's mental health, supportive environments
Links
Jolene Ironside
https://www.heartinmind.co.uk/

Nip in the Bud - Where to get help

https://nipinthebud.org/where-to-get-help/

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1. Trauma and ADHD: supporting children at school and home (00:00:00)

2. Jolene's background (00:01:48)

3. What do you mean by trauma and how might we recognise it in a child? (00:06:32)

4. How do we regulate in the body? (00:07:54)

5. What behaviours might we see in a child who is in a flight or fight state? (00:08:34)

6. What is nervous system regulation? (00:09:48)

7. Outside influences affecting our autonomic nervous system (00:13:37)

8. Having ADHD and not feeling 'good enough' (00:14:09)

9. What ideas do you have for school professionals to help children regulate their nervous system (00:15:39)

10. How to help a child before they get to the point of dysregulation (00:17:05)

11. Sensory circuits (00:17:24)

12. Moving chemicals through and out of the body to feel better (00:18:31)

13. Body brushing (00:18:54)

14. Sharing cues of safety to a child (00:19:21)

15. How our emotional response will impact the child (00:21:09)

16. How art can help children put their feelings into words (00:23:34)

17. Emerging research of ADHD (00:25:16)

18. Focusing on the positive behaviours (00:27:44)

19. What signs can you look for in a child who may have ADHD? (00:27:48)

20. What changes can we make in the classroom? (00:30:21)

21. How to change the environment to help the child with ADHD (00:31:02)

22. What can a school put in place for children and families with ADHD or trauma (00:31:36)

23. Working collaboratively (00:33:33)