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Professional bravery in ECEC: How reading the nervous system prevents behaviour escalation
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Fiona Alston
Dec 2, 2025
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Across early childhood settings, educators are reporting a rise in big emotions, sensory-based distress, and behaviour that seems to escalate faster than it once did. The increase is not due to a lack of skill within the workforce. It reflects the growing complexity of children’s developmental and sensory needs, combined with the heightened expectations placed on educators. In these moments, one skill consistently protects safety, reduces escalation, and strengthens relationships. Professional bravery.
Professional bravery is the educator’s ability to stay steady and responsive when a child’s behaviour becomes unpredictable. It is not about being firm or forceful. It is the capacity to remain regulated long enough to understand what the child’s nervous system is communicating.This shift matters because behaviour is the final output. The nervous system always speaks first.
Why does reading the nervous system change outcomes
Traditional responses focus on the behaviour a child is showing. However, young children show clear physiological cues before behaviour escalates. When educators can recognise these early cues, they can intervene before the situation becomes unsafe or overwhelming.
For children under five, the most common early changes include:
Breathing shifts
Shallow or faster breathing, holding breath, or strained sighs. These indicate rising stress.
Posture and muscle tone
Tension through the shoulders, pacing, leaning forward, collapsing to the floor, or becoming very still. These reflect changes in arousal.
Eyes and face cues
Scanning the room, avoiding eye contact, widening eyes, becoming glassy or unfocused. These are signs that the child is leaving a regulated state. These early signals appear because the nervous system is shifting away from safety and connection and into fight, flight, or freeze. Polyvagal-informed perspectives explain this pattern in accessible ways for educators. What is Polyvagal Theory?” on the Polyvagal Institute website.
Recognising these cues allows educators to act early, which reduces the likelihood of escalation.
Examples from daily practice:
The toddler who bites
Before the bite, educators often notice rapid scanning, stiff posture, or the child moving too close. These are early overload cues. Offering proximity and sensory support can prevent the bite entirely.
The four-year-old who struggles during transitions
Pacing, refusal, collapsing, or freezing often appear when a child cannot predict what is coming next. Supporting the nervous system with rhythm, movement, or connection changes the pathway.
The child who shuts down at group time
Stillness, blank expressions, and silence are not signs of calm. They are indicators of a freeze response. Lowering expectations and providing a gentle presence allows the child to return to safety.
These scenarios highlight that the behaviours we see are the final step in a much longer internal process.
Practical strategies educators can use immediately
Below are clinically validated occupational therapy strategies that support early intervention before behaviour escalates.
Use proximity without pressure.
Move closer to the child. Presence often regulates more effectively than instructions.
Name the cue instead of the behaviour.
“You are looking around a lot. Let us take a moment.”
This keeps the child connected rather than defensive.
Offer a sensory anchor.
Provide something predictable for the hands or body. Fidgets, chewable items, weighted objects, or movement breaks help stabilise the nervous system.
Use co-regulation scripts.
“I am right here. You are safe. We can go slowly.”
This reduces fear and allows the child to reconnect.
Modify transitions
Add rhythm, a predictable phrase, or a moment of connection before change. This supports the child’s sense of safety.
Remove unnecessary demands
Children cannot use higher-order skills during nervous system distress. Lowering the demand gives the child a pathway back to regulation.
These strategies are low-cost, low-demand, and high-impact for busy rooms.
Professional bravery in practice
Professional bravery is not dramatic. It is shown in the quiet, consistent choices educators make when a moment begins to wobble. It is the decision to notice a shift in posture rather than wait for the behaviour to change. It is the choice to steady one’s own breath before responding to a distressed child. It is the focus on connection before direction.
This approach is reflected in the RISE Framework, which stands for Regulate, Investigate, Strategise, and Empower. This sequence supports educators in recognising early cues, responding with low-demand strategies, and guiding children back into participation without increasing stress.
Professional bravery is a predictable practice. It reduces escalation, increases safety, and strengthens the educator-child relationship, which is one of the strongest protective factors in early learning environments.
About the Author
Laura McNab is an Occupational Therapist and the founder of Fleur OT. She created the RISE Framework to support educators in understanding behaviour through nervous system awareness, co-regulation, and practical strategies that fit the realities of early learning settings.
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