Vcuautismcenter.org



Emotions How To ScriptThe topic for this How To is Teaching Emotions and Emotional Regulation. You will see examples of ways to teach emotions and emotional regulation in the preschool environment. Some of the children you will see may not have a diagnosis of ASD; however, the examples all depict strategies and teaching practices that can be beneficial for all students.Individuals with ASD have a difficult time identifying emotions in themselves and in others. After all, reading emotions can be tricky and involves looking at people’s eyes, mouths, and body language, as well as listening to the way they are speaking. Many typically developing children learn these skills early in life through social referencing, or when a child references a caregiver to understand how to react in new situations. This includes reading a parent’s expression and emotion in a way that helps them make a decision. In these exchanges, very young children learn which emotions are appropriate in different situations. Young children are also tuned in to different facial expressions and become very good at identifying different emotions such as happy, sad, scared, mad, or excited. Due to the characteristics of autism, young children with ASD are not learning the same information. Often, children with ASD are not observing caregivers in the same manner as their typically developing peers and are unable to identify, understand, and use a variety of emotions and their corresponding facial expressions, gestures, body language, or even tone of voice. Some individuals with autism express the same facial expressions and body language to mean a wide variety of different emotions and it can be difficult to understand how they really feel. Others may have very little facial expression, or a flat affect, and use this when they are excited, sad, or angry. Others still may demonstrate the right facial expression and emotion for a situation but are unable to explain how they feel or why they feel that way. Many individuals with ASD also have difficulty in regulating their emotions. This means a child might be unable to modify or control the intensity of their emotion in different environments and situations. Further, many children with ASD experience significant anxiety and may use self-stimulatory behavior as a means of self-regulation. If a child is not taught critical skills such as emotional identification, appropriate ways to express emotion, as well as means for regulating emotions, then they may use interfering behavior as a means of communication. Teaching these skills is also a critical life skill as it helps a child also express when they are sick or in pain.Video transcript:I incorporate sensory activities, or choices, into Jalen’s schedule. We do things like the tumble tube, the scooter board, the balance board, ball, and even bubbles because whatever he chooses, whatever he wants. I also have that page available to be pulled out and put back into the book at any part so when his behavior is escalating, and I see that happening, I’ll throw that page in there so that we can quickly get to one of those choices that changes his behavior. But when he gets upset, his behavior starts escalating out of control and the sensory kind of brings him back and it also provides him with a choice of something that he really loves. And so we only have to do it for short periods of time and then we can get right back on track with what I need him to do. But I think that it provides something for him, something self-regulating, that he’s not able to get on his own, and also the ability to make his own choice, because he does like to make his own choices. He also gets occupational therapy consult for his sensory needs, so I’ve been able to go to the OT and she’s provided different things you know like trampolines, a rocky boat, and the tumble tube and all those things that she’s been able to provide to me and have them on hand when he is making those choices. I don’t have to run around and find them, they’re right there when I need them. She takes him and tries different sensory things with him to see what he likes, and then she provides back to me feedback and we’re able to work those things out and see what he needs. Transcript: Let’s look at some tips for teaching young children to identify emotions, how to express emotions, and how to regulate the intensity or control of various emotions.In teaching young children to identify emotions in others, it will be important to use visual supports. Because some children with ASD are concrete learners, it may be important to start with real photographs such as the example on the left displaying an angry child. Notice the almost exaggerated expression that this child uses. This can actually help a child who is just starting to learn different expressions because the differences in facial expressions are more easily seen. Other children will be able to use line drawings of emotions such as the example on the right. Notice that these are much more abstract and not all young children with ASD will be able to start at this level. Books about emotions are always a great resource for young children. However, remember that some of the illustrations may be too abstract for children with ASD. In the popular book on the left, “The Way I Feel,” some children with ASD may not fully understand the illustrations. In the photograph on the right, you will see an example of a book on feelings with real photographs titled, “What I look like when I am SAD.” This book focuses on details that help young children identify various aspects of facial expressions for sadness. This can be very beneficial for children with ASD!When it comes time to helping a child learn to express emotions, using mirrors is a great way to get started! Using mirrors to experiment with making different facial expressions and moving different parts of the face including lips, eyebrows, and noses can be helpful for children with ASD as they often have difficulty with imitation, motor planning, and matching expressions with situations. Role playing different situations and practicing the appropriate expressions can also be very helpful for young children! In the photograph above, I was teaching some children to make a surprised face and was pointing out different features such as an open mouth, raised eyebrows, and widened eyes. The children then used their own mirror to practice imitating that same expression. The following week a child yelled out, “You feel surprised! Look at your mouth and eyes!” And he was right! This is also great homework for parents and children to work on together at home!When teaching emotions to young children with ASD, it will be important to ask how they are feeling while using a visual support. In the photograph above, you will notice the visual support asks, “How do you feel today?” and has a variety of emotions a child can choose from. As children become more adept at identifying and expressing a variety of emotions, it will be important to help them learn how to regulate these as well. Now, all children in preschool are still learning how to regulate emotions; however, given the characteristics of ASD, this is a much more difficult skill for our children and WILL require intervention. For some children, they may need to start practicing how to regulate the volume of their voice. When a child with ASD is excited, they may be very vocal in expressing that emotion! When a child with ASD is upset, it can also be difficult for them to calm down without assistance. It will be important to provide this child with the tools needed for self-calming. Remember, this can be a difficult area for children with ASD and you will have to teach them how to do this.When creating strategies for emotional regulation, it’s important to tap into what motivates a child. In the photograph above, the child is clearly motivated by SpiderMan as the character in his story is Peter Parker. Notice how this visual includes information for the child to practice as he learns how to regulate his own emotions while also using his interest in Spiderman. Typically, scale or thermometer types of visual can be used to help a child understand the nuances between different sounds and feelings. With a voice volume scale, a five is the kind of voice we might use on the playground, while a three is for the classroom, two is for the library, and a 1 is whispering in someone’s ear. These types of visual can be also be the first step in helping a child learn how to regulate from being really ANGRY to being really CALM. Of course, this will require A LOT of practice and may not be something that the child will master while still in preschool; but children with ASD CAN learn these skills over time and that starts at an early age!Let’s watch a few video examples of teaching emotions in the classroom. In this first video, notice that the teacher asks the child how she is feeling today and provides an opportunity to choose between emotions. Video transcript:Teacher: How do you feel today? Are you happy or sad? You touch.Student using AAC: I am happy today.Teacher: Yay! Good job!Transcript:In this next video, you will notice a child who is learning how to regulate his emotions when he is angry. Notice how he has been taught the steps of what to do beforehand.Video transcript:I’m mad today! Grrrr…Mad! I need to take a break at the … When I am mad I can squeeze something. When I am mad I can color! Feel better! I feel better! When I color I feel better! Transcript: As you can see, the teachers in these videos are working on teaching emotions as well emotional regulation. They have provided visual supports and specific steps that can be practiced throughout the day. They are all helping their students navigate the complex world of emotions!Remember:Individuals with ASD have a difficult time identifying emotions in themselves and in others. Due to the characteristics of autism, young children with ASD are not observing others and are often unable to identify, understand, and use a variety of emotions and their corresponding facial expressions, gestures, body language, or even tone of voice. If a child is not taught critical skills such as emotional identification, appropriate ways to express emotions, as well as means for regulating emotions, then they may use interfering behavior as a means of communication. Teaching these skills is also a critical life skill as it helps a child also express when they are sick or in pain.These skills are important life skills and the earlier students can learn them, the better for them in the future! ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download