Zone of Regulation

Zone of Regulation is a framework and a treatment approach which integrates Systemizing Theory, Central Coherence Theory and Cognitive Behavior Management. The population that benefits from this framework includes individuals with autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit disorders, and social-emotional deficits. In this model, all the different ways individuals feel are categorized into four color zones: blue, green, red, and yellow (Kuypers, 2011).

Evidence-Based Practice

Children with autism spectrum disorder have challenges in understanding and responding to feelings and emotions of other people. However, children with autism spectrum disorder can improve in these areas through intervention on emotion vocabulary and emotion recognition (Baron-Cohen et al., 2009).  

Activity: Go on an Emotions Scavenger Hunt (school-aged)

https://www.mosswoodconnections.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Feelings-and-Emotions-Scavenger-Hunt.pdf

·       Build emotional awareness

·       Perspective taking

·       Social skills

·       Whole body listening

Materials Needed: emotions scavenger hunt checklist, a marker, a clipboard

1.       Go over the feeling words with the child: sleepy, confused, silly, happy, sad, furious, surprised, angry, embarrassed, loving, bored, sick

2.       Categorize each feeling on the 4 zones: blue, green, red, and yellow

3.       Find a place where the child/children can sit and observe people (a bench near a park or school playground)- make sure it is not too busy; it   can be overwhelming for a child

4.       See who can find someone that matches the emotions on the worksheet and cross them all of first

5.       Ask the child/children why that person may feel that way

6.       Ask the child/children when they may have felt that way

7.       Act out the emotions

8.       Talk about the strategies they can use when they are

Example Goals for Zone of Regulation

In 6 months, __________ will independently identify his/her feelings and manage his/her feelings using appropriate strategies with 80% accuracy, across 3 observable sessions measured by an SLP.   

In 6 months, __________ will identify his peer’s feelings with no more than 2 verbal prompting, with 80% accuracy, across 3 observable sessions measured by an SLP.  

Cueing: Hierarchy of Prompting can be used depending on the child’s needs on cueing.

Prompting is an effective EBP that maximizes the individual’s success and increases the client’s generalized use of target skills.

Hayes D. (2013). The use of prompting as an evidence-based strategy to support children with ASD in

school settings in New Zealand. Kairaranga,14(2), https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1025644.pdf