Emotional Skills

Learning Emotional Skills

Introduction

All of us experience a range of emotions as we deal with the different activities in life. We are able to recognise, understand and manage our emotions and eventually move on. However, this may not come as easily for children on the spectrum. They may require support in identifying, labelling, expressing, and regulating emotions. As a result, your child may face challenges in social interactions and relationships.

Children with autism can be taught to recognise, understand, display and regulate their emotions appropriately with the help of tools and techniques like structured activities, visual cards, the emotion ladder, etc.

What are Emotions?

Emotions are reactions that occur in response to various situations. There are four major emotions – Sad, Happy, Fear and Anger. Elements of these can also blend to form more complex emotions such as jealousy, guilt, pride and love.

Thinking

How We Perceive A Situation (Thinking and Reasoning)

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Example: From a distance, a wavy thing on the lawn might be assumed to be a snake by some, and a rope by others. In a competition, we might be happy, but the competitors might be sad, angry, jealous or happy for us.

Physiological

How Our Body Responds (Physiological)

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Example: When we are afraid, our heart might beat faster and our palms may become sweaty.

Behaviour

How We Express It Through Our Body Language and Actions (Behaviour)

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Example: When we are angry, we may grind our teeth or shout.

The identification and labelling of an emotion are prerequisites for expressing it appropriately.

How Do Children with Autism Feel, Process and Express Emotions?

Your child with autism feels the entire range of emotions that you do. However, they may react to them in unexpected or unusual ways, such as:

• They may react very strongly even when it is not called for e.g. may throw a tantrum, self-harm or harm others when they accidentally spill a glass of water.
• They may react very lightly to a situation e.g. they may not even flinch (or may even laugh) when someone has a severe fall and is in pain.
• They may react inappropriately e.g. laugh when someone else is hurt and crying.

This is because they are unable to identify, label, appropriately express and regulate emotions.

Moreover, they may not understand other people’s emotions through cues such as facial expressions, body language or the tone of the voice.

To assist your child, start by teaching one emotion at a time using the resources provided.

Happy

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately express HAPPY feelings.

Click to download

Scrapbook

This scrapbook consists of printable pages that will help your child create their own scrapbook on HAPPY feelings.

Click to download

Sad

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately express SAD feelings.

Click to download

Scrapbook

This scrapbook consists of printable pages that will help your child create their own scrapbook on SAD feelings.

Click to download

Fear

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately express FEAR feelings.

Click to download

Scrapbook

This scrapbook consists of printable pages that will help your child create their own scrapbook on FEAR feelings.

Click to download

Anger

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately express ANGRY feelings.

Click to download

Scrapbook

This scrapbook consists of printable pages that will help your child create their own scrapbook on ANGRY feelings.

Click to download

Happy and Sad

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately differentiate between HAPPY and SAD feelings.

View and Download

Fear and Anger

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately differentiate between FEAR and ANGER feelings.

View and Download

Four Basic Emotions

Workbook

This workbook will help your child recognise and appropriately differentiate between four basic emotions HAPPY, SAD, FEAR and ANGER feelings.

View and Download