Zyon came to our setting aged 18 months. He was not yet walking and had never been away from his family. He was one of many siblings and used to being surrounded by his loved ones.
Zyon expressed significant distress when settling-in. He refused to eat or engage in any play. He was so overwhelmed at times that he developed a habit of screaming until he vomited. It became clear very quickly that this wasn’t a momentary issue. As a team, we needed to plan how we might use a sensitive, attuned approach to help Zyon feel safe and give him the attention he needed. We decided to use the ShREC framework, especially the Share Attention (Sh) and Respond (R) strategies to guide our work with Zyon.
We invited Zyon to do low key activities, including building with the bricks and rolling a ball. We chose these as we would be able to engage gradually with Zyon without intense input or using spoken language.
Zyon had control over the pace of any interactions. Gradually, he seemed to recognise that we were interested in him (sharing attention) - we were focused on the same thing, in a connected, unhurried way.
A vignette of the interactions between Zyon and me:
Zyon was carefully building a tower
I sat near to him – not too close but close enough for him to know that I was aware of him and noticing what he was doing
After a few minutes Zyon looked at me.
I looked back. I didn’t maintain eye contact for very long, concerned it might be a bit much for him. Rather, I focused on his activity.
Zyon carried on building, looking at me every so often.
Tentatively I handed a brick to him – I didn’t hold it too close, so that he could ignore it if he chose to.
Zyon looked at me and then took the brick – he added it to the tower. He didn’t show any signs of anxiety.
I sensed that we were engaged in something together and our interactions were developing. After watching him add a few more bricks, I carefully added a brick.
Zyon looked at me again, and I gently smiled. This didn’t cause any signs of anxiety.
We carried on in this manner.
It was so pleasing and positive to see how well Zyon responded to me using the Share attention and Respond strategies of ShREC. It worked!
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) highlights the ShREC strategies as key to supporting early communication and emotional development. It can take time - it’s not about quick wins or planned outcomes, but about building the kind of trust that emerges through patiently being present and interested.
Zyon taught me a lot. He reminded me that children who struggle to settle aren’t being difficult but communicating the only way they can. It was my job to connect with him in that place, with patience and respect.
The powerful concepts of sharing attention and responding worked well. This is clear to see in this video of ShREC in practice at Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre.
We will continue to use the ShREC approach with Zyon, gradually using all 4 strategies. It’s heartening to know that we’ve got off to a good start.
Reflective questions:
- Can you identify a child who may benefit from the Shared Attention strategy when settling in or when experiencing distress?
- How do you build connections with children who are struggling with communication, as Zyon did?