What is Regulation?
Regulation is the ability to cope with situations that cause emotions like stress, anxiety, or frustration. Neurodivergent children often have difficult self-regulating. When we are regulated, we are in the best state to connect, learn, and create.
How do we self-regulate?
We all work on regulating, whether you realize it or not! Here are some ways you might self-regulate throughout the day:
- Eating when you’re hungry
- Getting some caffeine when you’re tired
- Giving your arms a stretch or standing up when you’ve been sitting in an uncomfortable chair
- Listening to upbeat music to energize yourself
- Finding a quiet environment when you need to really focus on something
- Taking deep breaths to calm down after getting upset
We do these things because our brains know how to interpret the signals our bodies are sending, and we have the executive functioning skills to self-monitor our impulses and take the steps necessary to react appropriately.
Neurodivergent Children and Regulation
Many children, not just autistic children, have difficulty self-regulating because they don’t yet know how to interpret the signals their body is sending and they are still developing the necessary executive functioning skills. Your child might be trying to self-regulate when they:
- Flap their hands
- Watch a favorite video over and over again
- Say a phrase they love
- Put their hands over their ears
- Chew on or mouth non-food items
- Eat crunchy, salty food
- Hit others or themselves
- Throw items
Our Approach
Our ability to communicate and engage with others is significantly impacted by our state of regulation. At Reed Pediatric Therapy Services, we will work with you to develop a plan and implement strategies to help your child get regulated and remain regulated. This is a step that is often skipped in traditional speech therapy, but it is vital in making meaningful progress toward authentic communication.
Contact Us
If your child is displaying behaviors that might be described as aggressive or sensory seeking, they could be working hard to self-regulate. Schedule your initial evaluation with RPTS today to support your child's regulation and enable them to communicate at their highest level.