Week 2 Social Skills Playhouse; Emotion Regulation

This week we will be focusing on understanding our triggers and corresponding physiological responses by plotting them on our “Feel-o-meters” according to intensity.  We all naturally apply specific coping skills to regulate our responses and most of us only employ one or two.  In this week’s class, we will introduce and practice additional coping strategies. 

We often show low level cues that we are being triggered prior to a meltdown, our job as parents and professionals is to pick up on these cues and educate our children and ourselves as to how best deal with them.

We recommend students self advocate (with prompting at the beginning from an adult) to take safe breaks.  It is important that children are able to find a safe place in the home and the classroom for such breaks.  Interestingly, because it forces one to have controlled breathing, blowing bubbles (yes, the good old-fashioned soap bubbles) is an effective strategy for students young and old.  Other strategies which work are self massage and pressure points, stretching, guided short meditation, swinging, deep breathing and heavy lifting.

These techniques can be used in the traditional classroom as well.  You don’t need to have an IEP or a formal diagnosis for your child to incorporate some of these strategies into their school.  We have found that working with schools and giving ideas, thoughts and suggestions as to what will help fend off a major meltdown is often not only accepted, but embraced.