CaRES Special Events: Caregivers - Nervous System Regulation and Learning

Children experiencing foster care live in a state of heightened arousal. Trauma from neglect, abuse, and/or rehoming all contribute to nervous system dysregulation, which in turn impacts learning, sleep, social skills, and sensory processing. Caregivers may observe their child struggling to retain what they have learned at school, erupting over small annoyances, aggressing toward peers, or struggling to sleep. These observations may feel frustrating to those in the child’s circle who want to see them succeed. Child-centered, play-based interventions exist that regulate the nervous system over an extended period of time. These evidence-based, low-preparation interventions enable children to learn novel skills, focus in school, process sensory experience and develop social skills with similar-aged peers.