{"version":"1.0.0","segments":[{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":87.58999999999999,"endTime":90.58999999999999,"body":"Some pupils don't explode because they're being defiant."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":90.58999999999999,"endTime":95.50999999999999,"body":"They explode because even the smallest correction feels like total rejection."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":95.58999999999999,"endTime":99.66999999999999,"body":"Their nervous system goes from zero to meltdown in seconds."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":99.66999999999999,"endTime":102.91,"body":"My name's Simon Currigan and I've supported hundreds of schools with SEMH and behaviour, observed thousands of pupils in classrooms"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":107.03,"endTime":112.83,"body":"and helped teachers all over the world understand what's really driving their students' emotions."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":112.83,"endTime":121.44999999999999,"body":"And in today's episode, I'm going to break down what rejection sensitive dysphoria or RSD actually is why it's so common in"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":121.44999999999999,"endTime":129.41,"body":"children with ADHD and what it means for the way that you give feedback in class, plus a couple of simple changes that you"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":129.41,"endTime":134.37,"body":"can make today that will prevent those emotional blowups from happening in the first place."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":134.37,"endTime":137.49,"body":"If you've ever thought, why did they react like that?"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":137.64999999999998,"endTime":140.37,"body":"This episode is going to give you the answer."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":183.68,"endTime":184.618,"body":"Hi there, my name's Simon Currigan and welcome to this week's episode of School Behaviour Secrets."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":184.618,"endTime":192.48,"body":"And I'm the kind of man who never won a trophy for anything in his life, except right, for the world's best dad trophy the"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":192.48,"endTime":198.39999999999998,"body":"kids gave me when they were six, which I'm gonna be honest, looks a bit like a plastic Oscar."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":198.39999999999998,"endTime":205.16,"body":"Now actually, hold on, now I've said that out loud live, I'm starting to think that maybe that award wasn't from a properly"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":205.16,"endTime":210.35,"body":"accredited organization, which means I might not be the world's best dad after all."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":210.55,"endTime":212.07,"body":"I mean, that can't be right, can it?"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":212.07,"endTime":213.95,"body":"I feel like I'm falling down a rabbit hole here."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":213.95,"endTime":218.54999999999998,"body":"I better get out of this intro before I break down and have to call my therapist live on air."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":218.63,"endTime":222.87,"body":"But kids, you've got serious questions to answer later. I am telling you."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":222.87,"endTime":230.19,"body":"Anyway, welcome breakdown aside to School Behaviour Secrets, the podcast where we poke around into what's really driving behaviour"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":230.19,"endTime":237.03,"body":"in schools and how you can make a genuine difference for all your pupils, including the ones with social, emotional and mental health needs."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":237.10999999999999,"endTime":245.13,"body":"And today we're going to look at something that comes up a lot when working with children with ADHD. and still really isn't common knowledge."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":245.13,"endTime":249.09,"body":"It's a condition called rejection sensitive dysphoria or RSD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":249.09,"endTime":256.33,"body":"I'm going to talk about what it is, what it isn't, why it's so common in children with ADHD and what it looks like in the classroom."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":256.33,"endTime":258.43,"body":"But before we get stuck in, I'd be really grateful if you could do me one quick favour."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":261.21000000000004,"endTime":268.04999999999995,"body":"If you're finding these episodes helpful, hit subscribe on your podcast app so you never miss a future episode."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":268.04999999999995,"endTime":273.78999999999996,"body":"And if you've got just 20 seconds to spare, leave a review on Apple podcasts or Spotify."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":273.78999999999996,"endTime":278.51,"body":"It genuinely helps more school leaders and teachers find this kind of content."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":278.51,"endTime":285.54999999999995,"body":"And it fuels my entirely unhealthy obsession with looking at podcast analytics at midnight. Thank you."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":285.54999999999995,"endTime":292.75,"body":"And also remember to share this podcast on your social media feed or even directly with colleagues who might find this episode"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":292.75,"endTime":296.27,"body":"useful to hear when you think about the classes and the students that they teach."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":296.27,"endTime":298.95,"body":"All right, let's get into the meat of this week's episode."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":298.95,"endTime":301.87,"body":"And let's talk about what RSD actually is."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":301.87,"endTime":305.37,"body":"And I'm going to break this down in really simple terms."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":305.37,"endTime":308.97,"body":"RSD stands for for rejection sensitive dysphoria."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":308.97,"endTime":311.57,"body":"Now, the rejection sensitive is the easy bit."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":311.57,"endTime":319.69,"body":"It means being extremely sensitive to rejection or criticism or even, and this is the important point actually, even to the"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":319.69,"endTime":324.33,"body":"possibility or the expectation of disappointing someone."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":324.33,"endTime":327.28999999999996,"body":"I want to zoom in though on the word dysphoria."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":327.37,"endTime":332.57,"body":"Dysphoria basically means intense emotional pain or distress. That's all."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":332.73,"endTime":336.25,"body":"It's the opposite of euphoria, which is intense happiness."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":336.49,"endTime":343.61,"body":"So dysphoria spelled with DYS, not DIS, dysphoria means intense emotional pain."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":343.61,"endTime":346.97,"body":"You don't need a psychology degree to understand that."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":346.97,"endTime":353.77,"body":"It comes from the Greek meaning hard to carry or hard to bear, which will make total sense actually as we get further into this."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":353.85,"endTime":362.61,"body":"So if we put the whole phrase together, rejection sensitive dysphoria means when a student feels rejected or criticised or"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":362.61,"endTime":364.83000000000004,"body":"they anticipate that someone might be disappointed with them, they don't just feel a bit"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":370.39,"endTime":372.45000000000005,"body":"sad or a bit embarrassed, they can feel overwhelmed by intense emotional pain or shame or fear."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":375.35,"endTime":384.23,"body":"And that can trigger huge emotional responses or shutdowns over things that to an outsider might look tiny. Now, here's the important bit."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":384.23,"endTime":387.75,"body":"RSD isn't yet a formal medical diagnosis."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":387.75,"endTime":391.51,"body":"As I record this at the end of 2025, it isn't officially recognised yet."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":391.51,"endTime":399.96000000000004,"body":"You can't get RSD on a diagnosis certificate."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":400.20000000000005,"endTime":402.28,"body":"That means for you psychology nerds out there, you won't find it listed in the DSM or the ICD, but, and this is key, it does"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":402.52,"endTime":410.12,"body":"explain a pattern of emotional reactions that comes up again and again, especially in people with ADHD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":410.19899999999996,"endTime":418.0,"body":"And we've got research that backs up the connection between ADHD, emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":418.0,"endTime":431.70000000000005,"body":"And psychologists are actually looking at including RSD-like symptoms in the diagnostic criteria for ADHD because RSD and ADHD occur together so often. They're often paired."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":431.93999999999994,"endTime":434.29999999999995,"body":"Quick example and some of the evidence base for you."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":434.29999999999995,"endTime":441.29999999999995,"body":"Because RSD is a newish discovery or a condition and the field is developing as more and more research comes in."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":441.29999999999995,"endTime":446.46000000000004,"body":"There's one study from 2023 by Jinap and colleagues. Hopefully I've pronounced that name properly."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":446.46000000000004,"endTime":454.15999999999997,"body":"They spoke to young adults with ADHD about their experiences and the participants themselves described rejection sensitivity,"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":454.32000000000005,"endTime":463.6,"body":"intense emotional reactions to criticism, and RSD type experiences as major parts of living with ADHD in the real world."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":463.67999999999995,"endTime":471.52,"body":"Another study from 2019 by Babinski and colleagues in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology looked at adolescents with"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":471.52,"endTime":479.6,"body":"more significant ADHD symptoms and they also found these teenagers showed greater rejection sensitivity, both in how they"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":479.6,"endTime":485.34000000000003,"body":"reported feeling but also in how their brains reacted to feedback from their friends and their peers."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":485.41999999999996,"endTime":493.53999999999996,"body":"And another study in 2024 by Muller and colleagues looked at university students and they found that ADHD symptoms were associated"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":493.53999999999996,"endTime":497.58000000000004,"body":"with higher rejection sensitivity and lower wellbeing."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":497.58000000000004,"endTime":502.29999999999995,"body":"Meaning this isn't just a childhood thing, it often continues into adulthood."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":502.29999999999995,"endTime":506.38,"body":"And that's consistent with what many adults with ADHD have told me actually."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":506.46000000000004,"endTime":515.3,"body":"They'll say it's one of the hardest parts of living with the condition, not the emotional dysregulation, not the inattention, the rejection sensitivity."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":515.3,"endTime":518.27,"body":"Now just think about that for a moment and think about your students with ADHD and how this might be affecting them and how"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":523.08,"endTime":528.4399999999999,"body":"this fits in with your knowledge of interacting with them on a day by day basis."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":528.52,"endTime":532.6,"body":"Do they present as fragile or overly sensitive to criticism?"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":532.6,"endTime":537.08,"body":"Well, now we've got a way into understanding that and supporting them with it."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":537.16,"endTime":539.28,"body":"So the research points in the same direction."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":539.28,"endTime":544.84,"body":"Emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity are very common in ADHD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":544.92,"endTime":554.23,"body":"When you think about what ADHD actually is, a condition that affects self-regulation, impulse control, working memory, emotional control, that actually makes perfect sense."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":554.23,"endTime":560.63,"body":"These kids' nervous systems respond to criticism and rejection as if it's a real threat."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":560.79,"endTime":568.39,"body":"So that's the definition, but what does it look like on the ground in the classroom? Well, let's start with externalising behaviour."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":568.39,"endTime":571.67,"body":"So these are the ones that you can see. They're big, they're obvious, they're loud."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":571.67,"endTime":574.07,"body":"This is the stuff that you can't miss in the classroom."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":574.07,"endTime":577.99,"body":"So imagine you give a child a simple piece of feedback on their work."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":577.99,"endTime":587.33,"body":"You say, can you change this sentence so it's clearer. That's fairly neutral. Yeah, fairly harmless. But boom. They slam the book shut. They scrunch up the work."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":587.33,"endTime":591.05,"body":"They tell you that they're rubbish at everything, or they get argumentative."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":591.05,"endTime":593.49,"body":"They'll say things like, you're always picking on me."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":593.49,"endTime":595.65,"body":"You never say anything bad to anyone else."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":595.65,"endTime":597.73,"body":"Or they just up and leave the room."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":597.81,"endTime":603.1700000000001,"body":"Or they start a confrontation with a peer and blame them for the mistake in their work."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":603.33,"endTime":607.21,"body":"The reaction seems totally out of proportion to the trigger."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":607.21,"endTime":608.65,"body":"It looks like, to use a technical term, catastrophizing."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":608.65,"endTime":611.2900000000001,"body":"To you - you feel like you just gave them a neutral comment, some practical criticism to help improve their work."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":618.63,"endTime":623.39,"body":"But in the child's body, well, their nervous system is screaming danger."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":623.39,"endTime":628.63,"body":"And then we've got the internalising behaviours, the ones you can't see, the ones that slip under the radar."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":628.63,"endTime":635.87,"body":"So we're talking here about the quiet child who shuts down every time you correct something, the child who tries not to cry"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":636.03,"endTime":647.71,"body":"silently at their desk, the perfectionist who is really reluctant to start a piece of work unless they know with 100% certainty that they can do it perfectly."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":647.71,"endTime":651.3100000000001,"body":"The child who rubs out their writing eight times because it's not good enough."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":651.3100000000001,"endTime":654.19,"body":"The pupil who seems very compliant and very people-pleasy but then at the end of the day goes home and melts down for their"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":657.51,"endTime":668.71,"body":"parents because you casually said during the lesson try not to forget your homework tomorrow which you meant positively and supportively. Those are all RSD responses too."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":669.01,"endTime":675.306,"body":"RSD isn't always loud, sometimes it's quiet, sometimes it's hidden away."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":675.306,"endTime":676.97,"body":"And here's something important because this is where schools often go wrong."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":676.97,"endTime":680.2900000000001,"body":"RSD behaviours get mislabelled all the time."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":680.2900000000001,"endTime":687.01,"body":"You might hear it being referred to as overreacting or attention seeking or manipulative or dramatic."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":687.01,"endTime":695.33,"body":"But when you frame it as dysphoria, intense emotional pain that's hard to carry, suddenly the behaviour makes sense."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":695.33,"endTime":705.7900000000001,"body":"If every correction feels like humiliation, shame or failure, the reaction isn't over the top, it's logical. It's actually self-protection."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":705.87,"endTime":711.15,"body":"And I'm not saying all of the behaviours that I've just listed that they are always RSD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":711.15,"endTime":714.51,"body":"All those behaviours I've just spoken about can also have different causes."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":714.59,"endTime":722.63,"body":"But if they are persistent, and especially if the child has a diagnosis of ADHD, or we suspect that they might have ADHD or"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":722.63,"endTime":726.75,"body":"they're on the pathway to a diagnosis, it's definitely something to consider."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":727.39,"endTime":733.41,"body":"So now let's look at what all that means for our classroom practice, because this is the important bit."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":733.41,"endTime":743.21,"body":"The solution here is not to lower expectations and you don't need to sugarcoat everything, but you do need to adjust how you"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":743.21,"endTime":751.13,"body":"deliver feedback and how you respond when the child's RSD gets triggered. The first challenge is obviously feedback."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":751.2900000000001,"endTime":758.9300000000001,"body":"Traditional teaching assumes that kids can receive neutral, critical, direct feedback and then take that away and use it to"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":758.9300000000001,"endTime":761.97,"body":"improve their work without taking that feedback personally."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":761.97,"endTime":764.51,"body":"And for most kids, yep, that's absolutely fine."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":764.82,"endTime":771.62,"body":"But for a child with RSD, that kind of corrective feedback can feel like a personal failure."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":771.62,"endTime":774.74,"body":"It can feel like you are rejecting them personally."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":774.74,"endTime":778.9,"body":"So the solution isn't to stop giving feedback or they'll never improve."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":778.98,"endTime":783.94,"body":"It's to change how we frame that feedback. So here are some strategies."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":784.02,"endTime":786.33,"body":"One simple adjustment is switching from 'you' language to 'we' language. So here's an example."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":790.9,"endTime":797.76,"body":"Instead of saying you've done this wrong, try saying we need to tweak this bit so it's even clearer."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":797.76,"endTime":801.12,"body":"So you're sharing lowering the burden of the criticism."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":801.2,"endTime":806.52,"body":"You're keeping expectations high, you're just removing that sense of personal criticism."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":806.52,"endTime":807.6,"body":"So shift from 'you' language to 'we' language."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":808.84,"endTime":813.36,"body":"Another strategy is to lead with strengths before pointing out the area to improve."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":813.52,"endTime":816.96,"body":"Something like you've written a great opening sentence here."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":817.0400000000001,"endTime":822.32,"body":"Now let's work on this part here at the end so your main idea stands out even more."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":822.4,"endTime":831.8720000000001,"body":"You've reinforced their competence, their skill, their achievement before asking for a change."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":831.8720000000001,"endTime":831.947,"body":"And you can combine those two ideas, those two strategies."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":831.947,"endTime":837.97,"body":"So instead of saying, now let's work on the next part so your main idea stands out more, you can say, now we need to work"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":838.0500000000001,"endTime":841.33,"body":"on the next part so your main idea stands out even more."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":841.33,"endTime":843.97,"body":"And another option is offering them choices."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":843.97,"endTime":854.85,"body":"You can say things like, would you like me to talk through the change or would you prefer I write it down and then you have a go based on that? Why does that work? Because choice restores control."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":855.25,"endTime":858.6700000000001,"body":"Control reduces threat and it reduces anxiety."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":858.75,"endTime":866.3100000000001,"body":"Threat reduction keeps the nervous system out of meltdown mode, out of survival mode, and choice as a bonus can also make"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":866.3100000000001,"endTime":871.5500000000001,"body":"the solution and the change look simple and easy to achieve. It's not a big thing."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":871.5500000000001,"endTime":878.71,"body":"The second challenge we need to deal with is what happens after the big emotional reaction because when a child with RSD explodes"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":878.71,"endTime":882.75,"body":"or shuts down they often experience deep shame afterwards."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":882.91,"endTime":890.5400000000001,"body":"RSD isn't just about the reaction, It's about the emotional fallout that follows."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":890.5400000000001,"endTime":899.0500000000001,"body":"The self-hate, the damage, exploding a mistake with their work and turning it into them personally having an unlikable identity or a failing identity."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":899.13,"endTime":904.13,"body":"So the repair conversation here matters just as much as the incident itself."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":904.13,"endTime":908.41,"body":"And here's a simple way to repair that's RSD sensitive."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":908.41,"endTime":911.32,"body":"After things have cooled down, start by reconnecting."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":911.71,"endTime":919.03,"body":"Yes, I've said start with connection before correction to quote Kim Golding over and over and over in podcast, but it's so"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":919.03,"endTime":922.03,"body":"important and it's important in this case too."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":922.19,"endTime":926.4300000000001,"body":"So connect with your student briefly, warmly and calmly."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":926.4300000000001,"endTime":932.11,"body":"Say things like, that moment earlier looked really hard for you. What was your experience of it? I'm interested."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":932.19,"endTime":940.3100000000001,"body":"Let them tell you their interpretation of the conversation, which is often something like, you were angry or you thought my work was rubbish."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":940.3100000000001,"endTime":948.77,"body":"And then clarify, look, when I said X, what I meant was, and then make it clear that you like them as a person and your comment"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":948.85,"endTime":953.33,"body":"was to help them them become the best they can be. It wasn't to knock them down."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":953.41,"endTime":955.25,"body":"It came from a place of care."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":955.33,"endTime":958.89,"body":"Now that's different from telling someone their work isn't good enough."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":958.89,"endTime":966.77,"body":"That kind of conversation helps them separate the criticism which they need to improve and develop from their identity."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":966.77,"endTime":971.33,"body":"We're saying that moment was tough, but it doesn't change what I think of you. I like you."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":971.33,"endTime":973.4,"body":"I think you're a really capable student."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":973.71,"endTime":978.3100000000001,"body":"We just needed some corrections with the work and we'll work through it together. It's about the work."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":978.3100000000001,"endTime":980.03,"body":"It's not about you as an individual."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":980.03,"endTime":982.58,"body":"And by the way, that is a conversation it's something you're going to have to have over and over and over."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":985.5500000000001,"endTime":990.75,"body":"It isn't the work of one interaction, it's the work of dozens and dozens."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":990.75,"endTime":996.63,"body":"But in time those 20 second conversations can prevent hours of shame spirals."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":996.63,"endTime":1001.11,"body":"And the third area to look at is classroom culture. The environment matters."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1001.11,"endTime":1007.49,"body":"Public comparisons, things like sticker charts, traffic light charts, public warnings, happy and sad clouds, dojo points."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1007.49,"endTime":1010.45,"body":"They can be brutal for kids with RSD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1010.45,"endTime":1013.4200000000001,"body":"If you call out a child's name for a warning in front of 30, bang up a negative dojo, which comes with the sound of a klaxon,"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1018.01,"endTime":1024.4099999999999,"body":"you might as well press the big red panic button in their brain. But there's a distinction here."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1024.4099999999999,"endTime":1028.57,"body":"It's not about avoiding accountability or letting the child do whatever they want."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1028.6499999999999,"endTime":1032.94,"body":"It's about keeping the accountability private and discreet."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1032.94,"endTime":1040.3,"body":"As adults in the workplace, we prefer to be praised in public, but if a manager's got a criticism, some negative feedback"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1040.3,"endTime":1044.3,"body":"for us, we prefer it to be done in private, not in front of our peers."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1044.62,"endTime":1046.78,"body":"So let's follow follow that approach here."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1046.86,"endTime":1052.46,"body":"Give quiet prompts, quiet conversations about change and correction and what needs to improve."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1052.54,"endTime":1059.74,"body":"And if you want to lower the threat of rejection across the whole classroom, start modelling making mistakes yourself."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1059.74,"endTime":1063.09,"body":"Get something wrong on the board, either intentionally or unintentionally."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1063.6,"endTime":1074.04,"body":"When it happens, laugh it off, correct it calmly, and then talk about how the mistake made you feel and how you as an adult are going to deal with it."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1074.04,"endTime":1082.52,"body":"When you do that, when you talk that through, you're making your hidden internal thoughts and feelings external so your students can hear the process."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1082.84,"endTime":1085.68,"body":"You're showing that errors aren't disasters, they're normal."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1085.68,"endTime":1092.6399999999999,"body":"And as an adult, this is part of demonstrating the culture that we want our students to buy into, especially in the modern"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1092.6399999999999,"endTime":1099.1,"body":"world, in the social media world, where we're surrounded by perfectionism, where everyone shows off the highlight reels of"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1099.1,"endTime":1107.46,"body":"their lives with beauty filters and photoshopped pictures, and everything's been AI to the nth degree to make our lives look amazing on social media."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1107.62,"endTime":1115.02,"body":"Show your kids in the classroom how real life is actually messy and success involves missteps and mistakes and failure and"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1115.02,"endTime":1118.02,"body":"then narrate how we can cope with that."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1118.02,"endTime":1121.11,"body":"And one final point, if you think a student is showing strong signs of RSD, talk to your SENCo, talk to parents, don't diagnose."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1125.75,"endTime":1133.79,"body":"Now that is absolutely not your job or the job of this podcast, but do share the kind of behaviours you're seeing and hearing"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1133.79,"endTime":1137.79,"body":"and then work together between you to plan consistent ways."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1141.79,"endTime":1142.83,"body":"Of giving feedback, managing incidents and supporting the child emotionally."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1142.83,"endTime":1149.7099999999998,"body":"Because when we get consistency across adults at home and school, that massively lowers stress for children with RSD."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1149.7099999999998,"endTime":1153.9099999999999,"body":"All right, time to wrap things up. Rejection sensitive dysphoria is real."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1153.9099999999999,"endTime":1158.99,"body":"It's intense emotional pain triggered by criticism or perceived failure."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1158.99,"endTime":1169.966,"body":"And it's incredibly common in students with ADHD and the research it backs that up."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1169.966,"endTime":1171.23,"body":"In class, that might look like explosions, shutdowns, perfectionism, argumentativeness or withdrawal."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1171.23,"endTime":1179.35,"body":"But when we as the adults adjust how we give feedback, how we support emotional repair and how we structure the classroom"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1179.35,"endTime":1188.31,"body":"environment, we can help those pupils feel safe enough to learn and develop while still keeping expectations high."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1188.31,"endTime":1191.87,"body":"And before I close, here's a final reflection question for you."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1191.87,"endTime":1195.3899999999999,"body":"Think of one pupil who seems to overreact to feedback."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1195.3899999999999,"endTime":1203.9099999999999,"body":"What's one small change that you could make this week either in how you phrase your feedback or how you reconnect after a difficult moment?"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1204.1499999999999,"endTime":1210.07,"body":"And ask yourself what difference would it make for them and also what difference would it make for you?"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1210.07,"endTime":1215.85,"body":"If you've enjoyed today's episode remember to subscribe so you get future episodes automatically and if you can spare a moment"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1215.85,"endTime":1222.73,"body":"to leave a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify or share this podcast on your socials or with colleagues who need to hear about"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1222.73,"endTime":1226.73,"body":"this it genuinely helps other educators find the show."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1226.73,"endTime":1231.98,"body":"And if you If you haven't already, download your free copy of the SEND behaviour handbook by heading over to beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook. That's beaconschoolsupport.co.uk/send-handbook."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1242.26,"endTime":1249.4599999999998,"body":"It's a practical guide with fact sheets on conditions like ADHD, an aces and trauma, plus a behaviour analysis tool that helps"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1249.4599999999998,"endTime":1253.6599999999999,"body":"you connect behaviour you're seeing in the classroom to underlying needs."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1253.82,"endTime":1259.8999999999999,"body":"Again, it's not a diagnostic tool and it's not meant to be."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1259.8999999999999,"endTime":1265.3,"body":"The point of the guide is to give educators the information they need to be curious and think more deeply about the behaviour"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1265.3,"endTime":1274.32,"body":"that they're seeing in the classroom to kickstart early intervention for the kids who need it and to get the right professionals involved to support them. That's it for this week."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1274.32,"endTime":1280.8,"body":"Keep going, keep supporting your pupils and keep being the role model that your students need to understand mistakes and how"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1280.8,"endTime":1288.84,"body":"we cope in the real world even if your World's Best Dad trophy was produced by a questionable manufacturer from Amazon just"},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1288.84,"endTime":1299.6,"body":"like mine, but my ego is small, my self-esteem is low, and I'll take that trophy, I'll take that positive feedback wherever I can find it. It's still on my bedside table."},{"speaker":"Simon Currigan","startTime":1299.6,"endTime":1303.1399999999999,"body":"Take care and I'll see you next time on School Behaviour Secrets."}]}