The Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation

By Leah Kuypers, MA, OT, Autism Specialist

The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum geared toward helping students gain skills in consciously regulating their actions, which in turn leads to increased control and problem solving abilities. Using a cognitive behaviour approach, the curriculum’s learning activities are designed to help students recognise when they are in different states called “zones,” with each of four zones represented by a different colour.

In the activities, students also learn how to use strategies or tools to stay in a zone or move from one to another. Students explore calming techniques, cognitive strategies, and sensory supports so they will have a toolbox of methods to use to move between zones.

To deepen students’ understanding of how to self-regulate, the lessons set out to teach students these skills:

• how to read others’ facial expressions and recognise a broader range of emotions,
• perspective about how others see and react to their behaviour,
• insight into events that trigger their less regulated states,
• and when and how to use tools and problem solving skills.

The curriculum’s learning activities are presented in 18 lessons. To reinforce the concepts being taught, each lesson includes probing questions to discuss and instructions for one or more learning activities. Many lessons offer extension activities and ways to adapt the activity for individual student needs. The curriculum also includes worksheets, other handouts, and visuals to display and share. These can be photocopied from this book or printed from the accompanying CD.

ISBN-13: 978-0-09825231-6-2

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