Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is a skill children build slowly, with a calm adult beside them. These guides explain what it looks like at ages three to seven, and the small everyday things that help it grow.
What to Do When an Autistic Child Has a Meltdown
A meltdown is not a choice and it is not bad behaviour. It is a nervous system that has run out of room. Here are straight answers to the questions parents actually type at 7pm, plus the tools that make the next one smaller.
Read the post →How to Help a Child Regulate Big Emotions
Your child goes from fine to floored in seconds, and nothing you say lands. Emotional regulation is a skill that takes years to build, and you can help it along with co-regulation, routines, visual supports and stories. Here is what that looks like day to day.
Read the post →What Are the Signs of Poor Emotional Regulation in Children?
If your child melts down often, struggles to stop and start things, or takes a long time to recover from a disappointment, you are probably looking at emotional regulation rather than behaviour. Here is what the signs actually mean.
Read the post →How to Help a 3-Year-Old Regulate Big Emotions
At three, the feeling arrives long before the words do. You are the regulation for now. Here is what actually helps, and what to stop expecting of a three-year-old.
Read the post →How to Help a 5-Year-Old Regulate Big Emotions
Five is the age where children can start to name a feeling, then lose the words entirely when it gets big. Here is how to build the vocabulary and the plan while everything is calm.
Read the post →Emotional Regulation Activities for Kids Aged 3 to 7
Skills learned in calm are the only ones available in a storm. These are the small, repeatable activities that build emotional regulation without feeling like a lesson.
Read the post →Setting up a calm down corner that actually gets used
A calm down corner isn't a punishment spot. It's a soft landing your child chooses to use - and that only works if you introduce it before the first meltdown.
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