The Autism & Low-Incidence Coaching Team: Executive Functioning Forum-- Top 5 Tips for Teaching Emotional Regulation

Emotional Regulation can be difficult for individuals with executive functioning skill deficits. This can manifest in a variety of ways within the classroom including:

inability to manage frustration
poor coping skills
difficulty overcoming obstacles
overact to small setbacks
low frustration tolerance due to perceived threats to self-image
difficulty accepting constructive criticism
difficulty tolerating mistakes of self and others
behavioral outbursts

Luckily, emotional regulation can be addressed through direct instruction of self-management strategies. Today's Executive Functioning Forum highlights the Top 5 Tips for Teaching Emotional Regulation:

1. Plan for Direct Instruction

Many of our students do not acquire emotional regulation skills in the natural environment. Therefore, self-management skills for emotional regulation needs to be directly taught. The team needs to determine what goals are most important for the student to be addressed during this direct instruction. Then, they need to determine who will provide this direct instruction and when. Sometimes this instruction occurs in a 1:1 setting during a session with a speech therapist or OT. Other times, it may be provided to a small group of students by a school counselor or social worker. In some classrooms we even see direct instruction for the whole group.

Once the logistics are determined, the next step is determining what to teach. Most of the time we find that instruction is more successful when a specific curriculum is referenced because it can be used to structure the time together and can help in setting specific goals. Curriculum vocabulary and concepts can be shared with other staff members to facilitate generalization of learned material. There are dozens of options when it comes to choosing an Emotional Regulation curriculum. Below we have highlighted some of our most recommended. Click on each book below to be directed to the corresponding website with more information.

2. Start with the Basics

Emotional Regulation must start with the basics which includes developing a basic understanding of emotions. Students need to learn what the various emotions are and characteristics of each. Then they need to learn how to identify those emotions in others and in themselves. Use visuals, stories, movie clips, and scenarios to help students practice identifying various emotions.

Pam Ellender
Mad River Middle School, Mad River

Art projects can be a great way to illustrate emotions for young students so they are able to begin identifying emotions and making connections.

Angela Shelton
Rosa Parks ELC, Dayton

For some students with more significant needs, the educational team may need to identify the student's emotions for them. It is important that the team collaborates to come to a consensus of what observable characteristics the student displays when they are in different emotional states. A tool we often recommend is our Emotion Cue Cards for Staff. These handy cue cards provide a list of student-specific characteristics on the front "Looks Like" side. Then, on the back of each card are possible strategies that can be used to help the students regulate their emotions. These cue cards correlate with the colors from the Zones of Regulation.

3. Provide Visuals

Visual Supports are an evidence-based practice for students with autism and they can be an especially helpful strategy to use when teaching emotional regulation skills. Visual supports help to take abstract concepts like emotions and make them more concrete and easier to understand.

Rachel Hatton
Normandy Elementary, Centerville

Jody Chick
Yellow Springs High School, Yellow Springs

Bobbi Jo Chapman
Snyder Park Elementary, Springfield.

4. Plan Opportunities for Deliberate Practice

Once a skill is directly taught, students need ample opportunities to practice the skill within the context of the natural environment to help them see the benefit of strategies learned, fine tune what strategies work best for them, and to help with generalizing into the real world. Initially, these opportunities should be proactively scheduled and prioritized. Scheduling time for practicing emotional regulation skills can be just as important as scheduling time for reading or math skill practice because for many students emotional regulation deficits can be a big factor (if not the biggest factor!) impacting their ability to successfully access the classroom curriculum.

A common way to embed this practice into the daily routine is through doing a "check in" multiple times throughout the day. During the check in, students will identify what emotion they are feeling. If they are not feeling ready to learn, they can apply a self-management strategy to help them regulate. These self-management strategies should be introduced and practiced as part of their direct instruction.

Kelly Moberly
MCESC Learning Center- East

Pam Ellender
Mad River Middle School, Mad River

Kelly Coppess
Madison Park Elementary, Trotwood

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

JFK Elementary, Kettering

Leslie Mann
Smith Middle School, Vandalia

Angela Crum
Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek

5. Make Supports Easily Accessible

Once a student has been directly taught emotional regulation skills and they have been given time to proactively practice use of self-management strategies, staff can begin facilitating use of these strategies "in the moment" when students are upset, stressed, or frustrated. These strategies will be used to replace interfering behaviors. It is important that needed tools are readily accessible for students to use in the moment or they may result to going back to their interfering behaviors.