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A new grant will benefit public school students with disorders that affect their ability to self-regulate their emotions. Participants in the program will include students with disorders such as autism, bipolar disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The $13,000 grant from Janssen will help provide instruction as well as sensory equipment for six “Calm Corners” or sensory spaces to be developed in Robbinsville High School and Mercer County Special Services School District in New Jersey.

Faculty from ������ý����'s College of Education and Human Services will assist in training teachers how to effectively provide a safe space for students to go when they are having difficulties related to managing their emotions.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD and bipolar disorder are typically among the highest risk students who struggle with self-regulation.

“The impact of the pandemic has exacerbated students’ need for assistance by increasing anxiety, eroding routines and structures, and contributing to a loss of support and strategies that were typically provided in face-to-face classroom settings,” says Dr. Jason Barr, dean of the College of Education and Human Services. “Teachers and families of students with these disabilities are reporting an increase in undesired behaviors, such as outbursts, tantrums, self-injury and other expressions of severe anxiety or anger.

“This support will provide students with both coping mechanisms and strategies along with a private space where they can refocus and work on developing coping and self-management strategies,” he says.

The sensory spaces designated in the schools will assist students in controlling their reactions to emotions like frustration or excitement and enable them to refocus their attention on a new task.  

������ý���� faculty Dr. Diane Casale-Giannola, a professor of teacher education, and Dr. Lauren Delisio ‘00, an assistant professor of special education, will provide professional development to teachers, pre-service teacher candidates, in-service teachers and staff. 

Their training will focus on trauma-informed instruction, including strategies to support students with autism, ADHD, bipolar disorder, or those struggling with trauma, anxiety, and other emotion-regulation or self-regulation difficulties. It will also include information on how to offer one-to-one guidance to students to reduce feelings of frustration, anxiety, overstimulation and anger and help children identify environmental, personal and social triggers before they escalate.

The grant also provides an opportunity for Delisio and Casale-Giannola to facilitate presentations on the subject of emotional regulation for educators at state and national conferences.

�龱����’s&�Բ�����;College of Education and Human Services prepares students to be effective educators and is accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP). The college has a strong teacher prep program with a focus on early field experience. By sophomore year, students are out in the field, observing experienced professionals and assisting in classrooms. This early experience allows students to witness effective teaching strategies, increasing their confidence and skills as educators before stepping into classrooms of their own.