Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, absolutely. The Alert Program^® has been helping children of all ages and ability levels, since 1990 and research has shown its effectiveness.

Many parents print out the 20+ pages of our “Alert Program^® Literature and Research” document to share with teachers, school administrators, or other folks to demonstrate the excellence in evidence-based practice.

If you are new to the Alert Program^®, click here to learn more.

We have a list of therapists who have contacted us and have asked to be listed by state on our website, so you can find them easily. Click here to see our Alert Program^® Affiliates. We update this page frequently, so check back often.

You might want to begin by reading articles in the Blog and then browse through our Free Resources in the footer.

Then you might want to start by reading the Take Five! to find lots of practical, low-budget activities you can do easily with your child to support self-regulation.

Want to go for the whole enchilada?
If you are interested in teaching your child the whole Alert Program^®, then consider using the Leader’s Guide and taking the Online Course.

And since all of our books, games, and songs are geared for and easily implemented by parents, grandparents, and other caregivers, you can browse through our list of Alert Program^® materials here. Or click here to see all our parent & family friendly books, games, and songs.

When you discover what self-regulation strategies help your child to be focused and attentive, you’ll want to be sure your child’s teacher (principal or other team members) knows about the Alert Program^® concepts so they can be supportive.

We have a one page handout, just for this purpose, called “What’s All This Talk About Engines?”

Also, another concise, go-to resource is the Introductory Booklet that many parents have given to teachers and other team members to explain the basics of the Alert Program^®. Check out our Introductory Booklet.

The Alert Program^® uses an engine analogy because many children can relate and learn quickly about self-regulation when talking about their “engine” going into high, low, or just right gears. The engine analogy is just one way, but by no means the only way, to describe how alert one feels. We search for words that have meaning to the child or adult client (we typically would not talk about engines when working with older students or adult clients). Any descriptor that conveys the person’s inner experience of self-regulation can be used, such as:

• Colors (red for high, yellow for low, green or blue for just right)
• Animals (maybe a cheetah for high, a turtle for low, and a bear for just right)
• Winnie the Pooh (Tigger for high, Eeyore for low, and Pooh for just right)
• Use the child’s special interest, especially if on the autism spectrum. (For example, if the child loves to talk about a certain movie then use characters from that movie.)
• Or adults might use the words, “high alert, low alert, and just right for _________” (fill in the blank for any activity. For example, are you in an optimal state right now while reading this webpage? If so, you could say, “I’m just right for reading.”)

Learn more in our Blog article, “Engine Analogy? One Metaphor Does not fit All!”

If a child, student, or adult client is non-verbal or currently uses a limited vocabulary, then the abstract concept of an engine may not be helpful, and could even be irritating as one boy exclaimed, “I don’t have an engine!” He knew he was a boy and not an engine (and wondered if we’d lost our minds). Those children who are more concrete thinkers might do better with actual photos taken when they are in high, low, or just right states of alertness. Then, instead, of using words, they can point to the photo that best indicates their level of alertness.

And for those children, students, or adult clients who are not yet capable of pointing to a photo of themselves in different alert states, then the adults in their lives can use the vocabulary (without the individual identifying their level of alertness). For example, parents might comment to each other at breakfast, “This morning when I helped John get out of bed, his engine seemed really low and groggy. So, I asked him to play some tug-of-war with a towel (heavy work to his muscles). After giggling in our tug-of-war game, his engine got into a just right gear. Then he got dressed much more quickly and cooperatively.” In this way, the parents are not using the engine vocabulary with the child but using the analogy with each other to better problem solve.

To learn more about how to be a “detective” and how to support self-regulation in homes, schools, therapy clinics, and other settings, check out our Alert Program^® Online Course. To learn more about how important self-regulation is to all of us and how to become better observers and supporters of ourselves and others, check out Your Best Self Online Course. And to learn about low-budget activities to support self-regulation, even when children can’t talk about or use the engine analogy, check out the Take Five! book.

Yes. For those children, students, or adult clients on the autism spectrum who are verbally interactive, they can choose what analogy they want to use. If a child loves dinosaurs, then raptors could be high, brontosauruses could be low, and stegosauruses could be just right. Whatever descriptors have meaning for the child can be used.

Some children and adult clients on the spectrum, who are at a more basic level of communicating and interacting, will need the adults in their lives to understand what types of self-regulation strategies will support their regulation.

For example, after a teacher learns the Alert Program^® information, she may offer the child two choices when he comes in from the bus at the beginning of the school day. Upon entering the classroom, she may observe that the child’s engine is not in an optimal state for learning. She might think, “Hmmm, his engine looks high after the bus ride.” Rather than ask the child about his engine level, she would just offer a self-regulation strategy and say, “Let’s get ready for circle time. Would you like to help me carry this box of books or push the basket of blocks to our circle area?” In this way, the child gets the heavy muscle work he needs to help his engine get in a just right place for listening at circle time (but he is not talking about his engine. The adult is guiding his self-regulation choices).

You can find more heavy work and other simple, practical activities in the Take Five! book. And you can learn how to adapt the program for a variety of ages, populations, and settings in our full Alert Program^® Online Course. Or you may find it helpful to learn how to support an individual with autism by learning how to set up your own nervous system for success, how to insert self-regulation strategies throughout the day, and how to be a better observer of yourself and other’s nervous system by viewing Your Best Self Online Course.

The Alert Program^® uses an engine analogy because many children can relate and learn quickly about self-regulation when talking about their “engine” going into high, low, or just right gears. The engine analogy is just one way, but by no means the only way, to describe how alert one feels. We search for words that have meaning to the child or adult client (we typically would not talk about engines when working with older students or adult clients). Any descriptor that conveys the person’s inner experience of self-regulation can be used, such as:

• Colors (red for high, yellow for low, green or blue for just right)
• Animals (maybe a cheetah for high, a turtle for low, and a bear for just right)
• Winnie the Pooh (Tigger for high, Eeyore for low, and Pooh for just right)
• Use the child’s special interest, especially if on the autism spectrum. (For example, if the child loves to talk about a certain movie then use characters from that movie.)
• Or adults might use the words, “high alert, low alert, and just right for _________” (fill in the blank for any activity. For example, are you in an optimal state right now while reading this webpage? If so, you could say, “I’m just right for reading.”)

Learn more in our Blog article, “Engine Analogy? One Metaphor Does not fit All!”

Many folks who are new to the Alert Program® like to start with our Your Best Self Online Course to get the flavor and scope of the power of self-regulation strategies. Or you may want to begin by reading some of the articles in our Blog or listening to a radio show interview in our Free Resources. Browse our products to learn more about our Alert Program^® books, songs, and games. Click here to read a brief summary of our Alert Program^® materials.

And here’s a quick overview to help you get started:

If the child is verbal…
and if the child understands the abstract concept of an engine (and you would like to implement the whole program), then we would suggest using the activities in the Leader’s Guide to teach the child how to:

• Identify alert levels (Stage One)
• Explore methods to change alert levels (Stage Two)
• Learn to regulate alert levels (Stage Three)

One of the fastest ways to teach about self-regulation is explained in the Test Drive! (book and digital songs). Also, the Alert Program^® games, Alert: Go Fish!, Alert Bingo, and Keeping on Track Board Game can be used to reinforce the self-regulation concepts. Our games correlate with the three stages of the Leader’s Guide.

If the child is not yet verbal…
and if the child will not understand the abstract concept of an engine, then we’d suggest the Take Five! book, that offers lots of practical, low-budget activities that support self-regulation. This is a great place to start, especially for those who will not be teaching the engine analogy but want self-regulation activities for home and school.

The Alert Program^® Digital Songs are great for children who are not yet using words to communicate. These songs do not have the word “engine” in them but they are coded to indicate which songs are calming and which ones are alerting. These are effective songs to use with all types learning styles (abstract or concrete thinkers) since the music will help children to self-regulate whether or not they can identify their own levels of alertness.

Click here to learn more about all of our Alert Program^® materials.

We are happy to support you to find ways to help your child. You may have more questions and we’ve got answers! Click here to learn more about the Alert Program^®.