Zones of Regulation
Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavior approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete zones. The Zones curriculum provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of, and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, managing their sensory needs, and improving their ability to problem solve conflicts.
Some students may benefit from an informal sensory group with similar peers. The purpose of this group is to encourage better sensory organization and provide an outlet to explore gross sensory motor skills. The group is titled, “Zones of Regulation.” It is conducted by the occupational therapist and the school social worker. The students are taught to learn to recognize when they are in the different zones, as well as learn how to use strategies to change or stay in the zone they are in. In addition to addressing self-regulation, the students will gain an increased vocabulary of emotional terms, skills in reading other people’s facial expressions, perspective about how others see and react to their behavior, insight into events that trigger their behavior, calming and alerting strategies, and problem solving skills. It is important to note that everyone experiences all of the zones--the Red (Stop) and Yellow (Caution) zones are not the “bad” or “naughty” zones. All of the zones are expected, for both children and adults, at one time or another.
Information obtained from ZONES