Self-regulation is the ability to identify, monitor and control our feelings, emotions and behaviour in response to the environments and demands. Co-regulation is an interaction that provides support to your child to help them regulate.
Some neurodivergent young people struggle to be able to identify their feelings, control impulses or block out irrelevant information, which can lead to them feeling overwhelmed, being unable to complete tasks and feeling exhausted.
As parents, you can work on supporting your child to identify different feelings and manage their responses with different strategies like the Zones of Regulation approach. This page explores self-regulation and explains how zones of regulation can help your child.
Self Regulation & Co-Regulation
Our regulation fluctuates throughout the day, and we experience different levels of alertness appropriate for different activities. Our levels of alertness should match the activity we want to do, or that is being demanded of us in our task.
Some neurodivergent children find the ability to self-regulate their emotions and responses more difficult because of the different levels of sensory input they receive in different environments and around different people. Some children will be better able to self-regulate than others, however, self-regulation is a skill that can be taught and practised.
Before supporting your child in regulating, think about your regulation. Your emotional state of arousal can also impact the situation.
How Are Zones of Regulation Useful?
Feelings and emotions can be complicated. They come in different sizes, and intensities and use different levels of energy. To make them easier to identify and talk about, the zones of regulation organise those feelings, state of alertness and levels of energy into 4 different coloured zones - Blue, Red, Green & Yellow.
Having a simple and common language to structure feelings into can help children and young people recognise how they feel, monitor those feelings and act to help support them. As the environment around them and the people they meet affect their emotions and moods, they can learn what triggers certain feelings and when they might need extra support.
The Blue Zone
The Blue Zone represents a low state of alertness and low feelings such as when a person is sad, tired, sick, hurt, lonely or bored. Physical signs could include heavy limbs, moving slowly, a slow heartbeat and a foggy head.
Illustration by NHS Borders Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service
In this zone, children often need to rest and recharge and can regulate their emotions by seeking comfort, energising and resting.
The Green Zone
The green zone describes a calm and alert state. A young person in the green zone may feel happy, focused, content, peaceful or calm. Their nervous system feels safe, organised and connected, helping us to learn.
Illustration by NHS Borders Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service
In the green zone, regulation keeps us ticking along comfortably. You might eat a healthy snack, exercise, take a break, or pause to take a mindful moment.
The Yellow Zone
When our emotional state elevates and our energy rises, we move into the yellow zone. Our emotions might become stronger, including frustration, stress, anxiety, excitement, silliness, confusion, nervousness, or overwhelm.
Illustration by NHS Borders Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service
To regulate when children are in the yellow zone calming activities which encourage time to pause can help manage their energy and feelings as they get stronger.
The Red Zone
The red zone describes negative and positive high-energy emotions and intense overwhelming feelings. Children may be extremely heightened, for example feeling elated, euphoric, angry, rage, devastated, panicked, out of control or terrified.
Illustration by NHS Borders Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy Service
In the red zone, regulation should focus on pausing and assessing if they need to regulate or regain control of their thoughts to meet their goal. A good example would be after celebrating a teammate's goal by pausing and taking a deep breath to refocus if there is still time on the clock.
What Other Self Regulation Tools Are There?
When your child can identify and communicate how they feel, different tools can be used to get them back to their green zone. Initially, it might require some support from you, called co-regulation, but as they grow older and practice regulating their feelings, they can begin to recognise, monitor and regulate their own emotions.
Toolks will look different for every child, based on their interests, hobbies, and personal preference. Some strategies listed below can be practised at home and in school to provide you and your child with a regulation toolkit.
Let us know what you think!
We've been working together in Norfolk and Waveney with families and professionals to put together information, advice and resources that are helpful to families. Let us know what you think, and anything we could change or add to make it even better.
If you live in Norfolk
You can contact the Healthy Child Service team by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.
If you are 11-19 you can text ChatHealth on 07480 635060 for confidential advice from one of our team.
If you live in Waveney
Norfolk SEND Local Offer provide information and advice on services for young people with additional needs in Norfolk.
Suffolk SEND Local Offer provide information and advice on services for young people with additional needs in Waveney.
Mencap is a national charity who support people with learning disabilities. They offer a free Learning Disability Helpline with advice and guidance. Call 0808 808 1111 to speak to a trained professional.
Kooth offers online counselling, advice and emotional well-being support for anyone aged 10-18, seven days a week until 10pm.
