Three Steps to Teaching Emotional Regulation

You've taught the breathing exercise and filled the calm box, yet when it matters the young person can't use any of it. Often they haven't noticed the feeling building until it's too late, and no strategy helps if you can't tell when you need it.

Emotional regulation is split here into three steps: recognising what you feel, choosing a strategy that fits the moment, and using it. Most of the time goes on the first. You'll build feelings vocabulary with regular check-ins and an emotion wheel, and name what you see ("you look really frustrated"). You'll also help a young person spot their own body signals, for example by drawing round them and labelling where anxiety shows. Their strategies then go on cards on a keyring, small enough to go everywhere with them.

There's specific advice for autistic young people, who may feel emotions later, for longer or differently.