What is Emotional Regulation? According to the SCERTS® Model (www.scerts.com), it is “the development of the ability to maintain a well-regulated emotional state to cope with everyday stress, and to be most available for learning and interacting.”

As adults, we constantly emotionally regulate ourselves all the time whether it be for calming purposes or for energy-boosting purposes, etc. Our children need our direct help to regulate themselves as well as how to learn how to regulate themselves without our help.

What is Mutual Regulation? When the adult and child work together to achieve a well-regulated emotional state for the child.

What is Self Regulation? When the child works by his or herself to achieve a well-regulated emotional state.

The SCERTS® Model recommends a nice progression of goals for your child to respond and initiate mutual regulation techniques as well as to initiate self regulation techniques:

1. Decreasing Time to Recover from Extreme Dysregulation
2. Responding to Assistance Offered by Communication Partner
3. Responding to Regulatory Emotion Words
4. Using Regulatory Emotion Words
5. Responding to Specific Physical Aids to Facilitate Emotional Regulation
6. Initiating Specific Physical Aids to Facilitate Emotional Regulation

All six of the goals may need to be worked on at the same time!

How Can We Do This? With the use of various transactional supports and a progression of teaching for both understanding and expressing of emotions.

1. Starting with one emotion word and working your way up to several (“mad”)
2. Describe your child’s emotions at specific times (“mad……Bobby is mad!”)
3. Teach your child methods for expressing this emotion in a functional manner and/or coping with this emotion (“mad…….take a break” or “happy….sad I’m happy!”)
4. Describe your child’s emotions during a day (“today…..Bobby feels sleepy”)
5. Describing others’ emotions (“Daddy is happy!”)
6. Teaching your child that his/her actions affect your emotions (“Bobby jump on sofa…. Mommy sad”)

Some Fun Transactional Supports:
1. Emotion word picture symbols
2. Coping strategies picture symbols
3. Songs such as the “Feelings Song”
4. Phrases such as closed procedures – letting your child fill in the blank
(“Bobby is _____!”)
5. Feelings charts
6. Physical aids/actions – For example: trampoline, large bouncy ball, rocking chair, swivel chair, swing, scooters, bikes, chew tubes, bean bag chairs, sensory boxes, brushing, massagers, deep pressure, weighted blankets/lap pads/vests, putty, Play-Doh, spinning, jumping, rolling, walking, etc.

Check out KidSpeak’s latest training video “5 Steps To Understanding Feelings & How to Self-Regulate” for even more details and examples about Emotional Regulation:
http://www.autismspot.com/videos/Understanding-Feelings-and-How-Regulate...

****If your child has sensory integration needs, it is very important to consult with an Occupational Therapist to create a sensory diet for your child.****

~Laura & Amanda
KidSpeak, LLC
www.kidspeakdallas.com