Self-Regulation: American Schools Are Failing Nonconformist Kids | New Republic

Self-Regulation: American Schools Are Failing Nonconformist Kids | New Republic.

Interesting commentary on self-regulation and how it is “taught” in American (and British) schools. This article questions whether self-regulation is just a fancy name for compliance through brain-washing rather than overt discipline …

I didn’t know that occupational therapists worked in primary schools :

I could appreciate the role of O.T., as occupational therapy is called, in helping children improve handwriting through better pencil grips. But I found other O.T. practices, and the values wrapped up in them, discomfiting: occupational therapists coaching preschoolers on core-muscle exercises so that they can sit longer; occupational therapists leading social-skills playgroups to boost “behavior management” skills. Fidget toys and wiggle cushions—O.T. staples aimed at helping children vent anxiety and energy—have become commonplace in grammar-school classrooms. Heavy balls and weighted blankets, even bags of rice, are also prescribed on the theory that hefty objects comfort children who feel emotionally out of control.

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