Keep Our Kids in Classrooms: Gareth Morewood on the LASER Approach

The key ideas for this article came from our colleague Gareth Morewood over a series of talks about applying Low Arousal Approaches in classrooms. 

A key event in Gareth’s journey was held in May 17^th 2024, the DLC in the United States held an online conference on ‘Keep Kids in Classrooms: Stop the Use of Exlusionary Time Out Rooms in School.’ Our own Gareth Morewood, Educational Adviser and Co-Director of the LASER Approach, joined a host of speakers from across the globe, such as Guy Stephens (Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint), Dr Ross Green, Dr Lori Desautels, and many more! 

This event was an inclusive conference which focused on sharing the experiences of researchers, practitioners, teachers and leaders with the aim of preventing and eradicating the use of exclusionary time-out in schools. Gareth spoke in a break out group about the LASER Approach, and how we as professionals, educators, and supporters can work to build resilience into the environment, places, systems, policies and people around the child or young person, rather than enforcing restrictive rules around behaviour.

Below we have provided a summary of Gareth’s session, but we strongly urge you to watch the full recording of the session in your own time, which is available for free on Youtube.

Speaking about the LASER Approach, Gareth gave an overview of the core tenants of the approach, at the heart of which is a willingness to self-reflect, and be curious about what might lie behind the surface of distressed behaviour. Too often – particularly in punitive environments where methods such as seclusion and restraint are common – supporters ‘park the problem’ within the child, and seek to normalise their behaviour by attempting to change or control it.

In contrast, the Studio 3 approach to children and young people is to instead look at the environment and people around the individual, and to seek to create the right conditions to allow that child to flourish. Rather than viewing behaviours as wilful and deliberate, try to see a young person struggling to cope, and to identify what potential triggers and challenges may be affecting them. This often means more of a focus on reducing stressors on a systemic level, looking at the school environment, staff, and other pupils. 

Whilst this may sound like a daunting task, creating sustainable systemic change is achievable with the right leadership in place. Gareth talks in his work about the Saturation Model, a school improvement and development framework developed by Gareth and colleagues (Morewood, Humphrey and Symes, 2011).

For an outline of the Saturation Model and how it works in conjunction with the Low Arousal Approach, visit our blog: https://www.studio3.org/post/the-saturation-model-and-the-low-arousal-approach.

Central to this concept is the Agent of Change, an influential person in the world of the school who can drive the implementation of inclusive pedagogy and cultures, and begin the vital work of implementing new ways of thinking and working.

The key to this, of course, must be a dedication to eliminating punitive practices such as seclusion, restraint, exclusionary time-out, and exclusion. This requires a change in mindset around how staff view behaviours – this is about US not THEM. Enforcing exclusionary time-out on a pupil who, for example, has been restless and disruptive in class, is a punishment for that child.

If we instead applied a reflective approach, we might think about why that child was feeling restless and unable to concentrate in class, and how we might help to reduce triggers and stressors in the classroom to allow them to thrive. As Gareth always says, it’s about personalisation, not normalisation. 

‘Reflective practice should allow us to think about what’s happened, to plan for what’s going to happen, and to constantly amend our strategies and approaches.’

In addition to minimising stressors in the school environment, a school-wide focus on and awareness of stress and coping is so important. We can actively teach coping strategies to distressed children and young people when they are calm, rather than attempting to control the behaviours that arise out of these uncomfortable feelings. Gareth spoke about using student passports as a framework for working on working out exactly what stresses a young person out, and what coping strategies they can use, with support from staff, to manage them. There are so many alternatives to practices such as Time Out for when a young person is feeling overwhelmed and in distress. Further restricting a person who may feel out of control of their environment and body is not the answer. 

‘In general, adults try to control what they fear.’

Gareth encourages the opposite – more freedom. Building strategies such as planned escape into stress support plans, policies and practice enables young people to take their stress reduction into their own hands, and encourages self-regulation. Incorporating concepts such as stress, coping and interoceptive awareness into the school curriculum can empower young people to begin thinking about their own stress regulation and coping strategies in a meaningful way. When we restrict or punish people for behaving ‘badly,’ we may be denying them vital coping mechanisms that they need to get through the school day, which can often be chaotic and stressful. 

‘It’s really important not to try to pit people against what somebody else perceives as a norm, but to understand we have it within our gift to develop situations and systems that allow individuals to be themselves and to flourish.’

In Gareth’s session, he identifies a plethora of reasons why schools, and educational settings in general, can be such challenging and stressful places for young people. Being reflective about what these challenges may be, and acknowledging, anticipating, and adapting to them is within our power as supporters. What can we do to mitigate these stressors for young people, and create calm, consistent Low Arousal environments that decrease the overall stress of a setting, and increase individuals’ coping abilities? Giving back control to the young person and making the school day as predictable and calm as possible is a big part of this.

In October, we are hosting an online web conference with Peter Vermuelen, Kelly Mahler, Rachael Thompson and Professor Andrew McDonnell on Making Sense of a Chaotic World: Brain, Body, and Beyond.’ This event will look at interoception, the predictive brain, and Low Arousal strategies for navigating distress and trauma, with practical approaches to implement in your role as a supporter. 

Gareth’s session goes on to provide an overview of some of the key components of implementing systemic change, built on a foundation of understanding, flexibility, reasonable adjustments, personalisation, training, and development. This includes co-production via working with the lived experiences of people and families to inform practice, as well as fostering understanding and inclusion through peer education which reflects the diversity of our world.

Whilst it can be daunting to attempt systemic change on a school-wide level, there is guidance for embedding cultural change in the Saturation Model, which outlines the change process in a clear and manageable way.

For more information about implementing these approaches in your own setting, check out The LASER Approach or contact our office at training@studio3.org. 

The entire conference was recorded live, and is available to watch for free here: https://www.dlc-ma.org/keep-our-kids-in-classrooms/. We would encourage you to explore the recorded sessions at your leisure!