From overprotection to responsibility: A neuropsychological approach to developing self-regulation in primary school children through teacher–parent cooperation

Abstract

The modern parenting crisis is characterized by a paradox: total overprotection on the part of adults is combined with their inability to foster a child’s inner responsibility and self-regulation. The study was conducted at the request of an educational institution to address increased conflict behavior among preschool and early school-age children. Diagnostics revealed systemic impairments of neuroregulation and sensory integration in the majority of the examined children (98.8%), indicating a deeper problem than merely behavioral patterns. The primary hypothesis posited that sensory-oriented practices with children would facilitate behavior normalization. Considering the central role of parents in the early formation of interoception, it was assumed that parents with high interoceptive sensitivity would be more effective agents of recovery. The results revealed different mechanisms, exposing a paradoxical phenomenon: high parental sensitivity proved to be a marker of anxious overprotection, hindering behavior normalization. Traditional parenting methods based on external control do not influence the neurophysiological mechanisms of behavior and instead exacerbate the problem. This study aimed to develop and test a model that shifts the focus of the educational process from external control to the development of a child’s internal selfregulation through synchronized work between parents and teachers.The aim of this research was to develop and test a model for shifting the educational process from external control to the development of the child’s internal self-regulation through synchronized work with parents and educators. Based on the analysis of observations and diagnostics, an intervention model was developed and tested, targeting both the child and significant adults synchronously, which included: 1. The method of group social-sensory integration; 2. The method of sensory resource activation for parents. The proposed model demonstrated the effectiveness of a neuropsychological approach and the teacher– parent cooperation in overcoming the crisis of external control. The key condition is the reorientation of adults from verbal instructions to the creation of a developmental environment that promotes the formation of an internal framework of self-regulation and responsibility in a child.