Emotion: the guiding force behind decisions & actions individuals take in daily life, serving as a mechanism for:

• Communicating and connecting with ourselves & others

• being empathetic

• being compassionate

• sensing our moral conflicts

• building health communities & societies

Emotional Regulation: used to describe a person's ability to effectively manage and respond to the demands of an emotional experience to cope with difficult situations throughout the day 

Emotional Dysregulation: involves negative or unpleasant emotional experience interfering with goal-oriented activity

Audience: Client 

Age Range/Population: Pediatrics, Young Adult & Adult*

Purpose: This activity helps the client develop self-awareness and regulation by connecting emotional states with physical sensations and identifying appropriate coping strategies. The playful, interactive approach fosters engagement, allowing the client to process emotions related to grief and build resilience. Over time, these skills support participation in daily routines, strengthen peer relationships, and promote reengagement in meaningful activities like school, play, and social interactions.  

Instructions: The objective of the game is to "SCORE" by selecting five zone spaces that align with an appropriate response to a given scenario. The five spaces must form a consecutive line in either a vertical column, horizontal row, or diagonal orientation on the bingo card. 

The OT will read various scenarios or ask questions related to emotions and situations. 

The client will choose a space on the bingo card that best represents their response, emotion, or corresponding zone (e.g., green, yellow, red, or blue). 

Example: If the OT asks, "What is a feeling you have been having today?" the client might choose "angry" (red zone) or "confused" (yellow zone) based on their experience. 

The client continues selecting spaces in response to the scenarios until they achieve a "SCORE" by forming a line with five consecutive spaces. Once the client scores, the OT and client can briefly review the selected emotions and coping strategies to reinforce understanding and discuss their relevance to real-life situations. 

*This can be adapted to fit any interests, emotions, behaviors, or coping strategies that would align with the client.

Rationale & Impact on Function: The goal of this activity is to help the client identify, understand, and manage her emotions by raising awareness of her responses and validating their appropriateness. By recognizing the connection between emotional states, triggers, and coping strategies, the client will build foundational skills for emotional regulation. These skills will reduce emotional outbursts, improve peer relationships, and enhance focus at school, fostering resilience and supporting her adjustment during this period of grief. 

Reference(s): An overview of the zones of regulation: Curriculum and learning outcomes. (2024, September 3). He’s extraordinary: Tools for raising an extraordinary person. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://hes-extraordinary.com/the-zones-of-regulation 

O’Neal, C., Meyering, K., Tan, S.C., Wong, E.L., Lee, V., Babaturk, L., and Esteves, G. (2019). Emotion and stress regulation magic tool box. University of Maryland, College Park. https://education.umd.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Emotion and Stress Regulation Magic Tool Box.pdf 

Theories Underlying Social Skills

Attachment Theory (Bowlby): early attachment behaviors allow the infant to express needs to their caregiver which becomes critical for social-emotional development (resilience, emotional flexibility, empathy, cognitive functioning, social functioning)

Styles:

• secure

• insecure

• insecure resistant/ambivalent

• disorganized/disoriented

Social Cognition Theory: difficulties in social interactions are caused by impairments in specific cognitive processes that are necessary for effective communication 

Subprocesses: 

• perception of social cues

• mentalizing

• weak central coherence

Social Learning Theory: behavior that is learned by observing others in reinforced

Requires:

• attention

• retention

• reproduction

• motivation

Group Development Theory: groups provide participation and feedback from fellow group members 

Factors in Groups:

• interpersonal learning

• self-understanding

• imparting info

• imitative behaviors

Conditions with Impacted Social Skills

• personality disorders

• substance use disorders

• dementia

• I/DD

• ASD

• Attachment disorders

• ADHD

Interventions

• augmentative & alternative communication (AAC) (visual supports, communication boards, PECS)

• CBT

• social stories & role-playing

• zones of regulation

• social skills training

• peer-mediated interventions

• animal assisted interventions