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The Scared Gang books are written by Éadaoin Bhreathnach and illustrated by Sighle Bhreathnach-Cashell. This series helps children to recognise their own survival patterns through the Scared Gang characters. Each character represents a different pattern and tells children how they can self regulate through the use of food and sensory-based activities.
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The Scared Gang Full Set
Buy the whole collection together for £100 (saving £20)
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The Scared Gang Box Set of 9 Books
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The Scared Gang Are Asked To Tell
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A1 Poster
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Set of Cards
See below for more details of each product.
The Scared Gang Background History
The Scared Gang series was first written in 2006 for children who have suffered trauma and abuse. Secure children can express fear in the expectation that the caring adult will rescue, protect and comfort them. Insecure children are afraid to express their fear in case it places them in more danger. They need reassurance that they can safely express their fears.
The Scared Gang and Self-Regulation
The Scared Gang represents our survival behaviours. The purpose of these books is to normalise the feeling of fear. It is something that we all experience. Fear is a natural state that is designed to physiologically activate a protective response in us in the face of danger. Survival behaviours are adaptive responses. They are there to ensure we survive. Fear however becomes a problem if we can’t acknowledge it, or can’t take the necessary steps to regain control. The Scared Gang books show children how to self-regulate when they experience states of: hyper-vigilance, fear, flight, fight, freeze, dissociation or shutdown.
Children reading the books have expressed that they take comfort in the knowledge that they are not alone. Many children have said "I thought I was the only one who felt like this, but I can’t be because somebody has written about it."
The books empower children, as they realise they are already seeking out some of the activities the Scared Gang do. They help children and their Carers to become consciously aware of the different states and how the choice of food and sensory motor activities can shift these states. Children also learn to interpret survival behaviours of others through the stories e.g. when Fired-Up Freda is angry it means she is frightened. Children have gone on to write their own Scared Gang Story about themselves so that caring adults can understand them better.
Éadaoin Bhreathnach
Author