Emotional Dysregulation

Understanding Emotional Dysregulation in Children and Strategies for Support

Emotional dysregulation is a term that encapsulates the challenges some children face in managing and expressing their emotions appropriately. According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, it involves difficulties in registering emotions, responding contextually, and regulating emotional reactions in social settings. In this blog post, we'll explore the signs of dysregulation, the emerging skill of self-regulation, and effective strategies for co-regulation to support children in their emotional development.

Identifying signs of emotional dysregulation is crucial for caregivers and educators. Common indicators include

●      excessive crying

●      tantrum behaviors (yelling, hitting, throwing)

●      low frustration tolerance

●      unwillingness to participate

●      constant movement

●      extreme shyness

●      rigidity with changes

●      checked-out demeanor (lights are on but nobody is home)

Self-regulation, a vital skill for success in various aspects of life as it involves managing thoughts and feelings to achieve goal-directed actions. In children under 3, self-regulation is an emerging skill marked by their ability to regulate reactions to emotions, calm themselves down, focus on tasks, handle transitions, control impulses, and engage in activities that promote bodily awareness.

Recognizing self-regulation in children involves observing how they

●      react to emotions

●      calm themselves after exciting or upsetting events

●      focus on tasks

●      refocus on new activities

●      handle transitions

●      control impulses

●      connect with others through visual engagement.

Understanding the Child's World:

Dr. Mona Delahooke, author of "Brain-Body Parenting," emphasizes the importance of understanding children's preferences as a way their bodies and brains make sense of the world. Encouraging parents and caregivers to approach these preferences with compassion, she notes that children use sensory information to feel better and feel grounded.

Co-regulation Strategies:

The first step in helping a child who is dysregulated is for a parent, caregiver, or other safe adult to co-regulate with the child. Co-regulation is when one nervous system calms another nervous system. Co-regulation involves fostering supportive relationships, providing necessary support, and structuring the environment to assist a child's self-regulation. The key components include:

Relationship:

●      Provide a warm and responsive relationship.

●      Recognize and respond to cues indicating needs and wants.

●      Offer caring support during times of stress.

Support:

●      Teach and coach self-regulation skills through modeling and instruction.

●      Provide prompts for skill enactment.

●      First teach skills, then provide needed supports for self-regulation.

Environment:

●      Structure the environment to make self-regulation manageable.

●      Create a buffer against environmental stressors.

●      Establish a physically and emotionally safe environment for children to explore and learn.

Practical Strategies and Tips:

Before addressing any specific concerns, ensuring that the child feels safe, calm, and regulated is paramount. Caregivers and educators play a vital role in understanding what organizes and disorganizes a child, helping therapists and other professionals understand their child, and recognizing when a child is at their best or worst and what triggers extreme reactions.

Understanding emotional dysregulation and promoting self-regulation in children are essential for their overall development. By implementing co-regulation strategies and fostering supportive environments, caregivers and educators can contribute to the emotional well-being of the children they nurture. Through compassion and patience, we can help children build the foundation for a resilient and joyful future.

References:

McLean, S. (2018, May). Developmental differences in children who have experienced adversity (Practice guide 1 of 4). Child Family Community Australia.

Murray, D., Rosanbalm, K., Christopoulos, C., & Hamoudi, A. (2015). Foundations for Understanding Self-Regulation from an Applied Developmental Perspective.

Rosanbalm, K. D., & Murray, D. W. (2017). Caregiver Co-regulation Across Development: A Practice Brief. OPRE Brief #2017-80. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.