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Many of the students I work with have difficulty with emotional regulation skills. A challenge has been to find engaging activities and materials for older students. That’s why I created this activity to reinforce emotional regulation concepts that they are learning in our sessions. After dealing the cards (I printed mine out on card stock and quickly cut up), students… Read More
Like most of my fellow SLP’s, I try to use games in creative ways that target therapy goals. I have so many students in both my school setting and private practice that struggle with emotional regulation issues, so that’s been a huge focus of my therapy lately. A challenge is to make abstract concepts tangible and visible to my students…. Read More
Children who struggle with emotional regulation skills are often described as impulsive and reactive. Their emotional and sensory “engines” are in high gear. There are internal and external distractions that vie for their attention. That’s why it’s important to develop calming techniques for children. It’s also important to understand the foundational skills necessary to help children solve social problems. … Read More
When I ask parents what their concerns are about their child’s social communication and interaction skills, most express worries over their child’s ability to get along with others, make friends, regulate emotions and make good choices. The common thread I am hearing is that parents want their children to be able to make solve social problems and resolve conflicts–whether this… Read More
One of my career highlights has been as an invited speaker at the recent Social Thinking conference in Philadelphia. During their presentation, Michelle Garcia Winner and Pam Crooke made a pointed effort to stress the importance of working on foundational skills. An example was given of a teacher who commented that she had completed all the lessons in “Think Social”… Read More
I love Leah Kuyper’s Zones of Regulation curriculum. If you are unfamiliar with this approach, it is a way of categorizing emotions into four “zones”. The lessons developed by Ms. Kuypers include sensory integration and regulation as well as emotional awareness and executive functioning. Recently, while working with a group of 8-year-olds, one of the children described being in the… Read More
