Teaching is an incredibly rewarding profession, but it comes with its fair share of challenges—especially when you’re working to meet the diverse needs of children in your classroom. Emotional regulation is one of the key areas where many children need support, but for children with autism, it can be particularly challenging.
That’s why we’ve developed our Zones of Calm and Control resource, a practical tool designed to help children recognise and regulate their emotions. While this resource is beneficial for any child, it’s especially supportive for children with autism, who often experience heightened emotions due to sensory overload or difficulties with communication.
Emotional Regulation and Autism
As teachers, I’m preaching to the choir here that emotional regulation is a significant aspect of autism. A child with autism may struggle to recognise their emotions, express how they’re feeling, or choose an appropriate way to self-soothe. This can lead to frustration, outbursts, or withdrawal—especially in a busy mainstream classroom where sensory input and social interactions are constant.
The goal isn’t just to support children in the moment but to teach them to self-regulate over time. By building awareness of their emotional states and practising strategies to help manage them, we can empower children to develop lifelong skills that will help them navigate their world more confidently.
How the Zones of Calm and Control Resource Helps
Our Zones of Calm and Control poster is designed to break emotional regulation into manageable steps by dividing feelings into four colour-coded zones:
- Green (Calm and Focused)
- Yellow (Wobbly but Manageable)
- Orange (Losing Control)
- Red (Out of Control)
Each zone is accompanied by suggested strategies to help children regulate their emotions, such as taking deep breaths, using a sensory tool, or stepping away to a quiet space. However, every child is different, and we’ve kept that in mind by including multiple versions of the resource. One template provides pre-written suggestions, while others have blank spaces for you to work with the child to customise the zones based on their unique experiences and needs.
For example, a child might identify that when they’re in the Red Zone, they want to hide under a table, while another might feel the urge to run out of the classroom. By personalising the tool, you can validate their feelings and provide them with strategies tailored to their needs.
Managing This in a Busy Classroom
We understand that, as a teacher, you’re balancing a million and one priorities at any given moment. Supporting a child with autism to develop emotional regulation skills can feel like a daunting task, especially when the rest of the class also needs your attention. However, with just a small time investment upfront, this resource can become an invaluable tool that benefits both you and the child in the long run.
Here are a few suggestions for finding time to get started with the Zones of Calm and Control:
- Use assembly time, quiet reading time, or moments when the class is working independently for 5–10 minutes to talk it through with the child.
- Collaborate with a teaching assistant or a SEND coordinator if you have support in the classroom.
- Focus on consistency—regularly referencing the tool and practising its use will help the child internalise it over time.
For younger children, the process may take longer, but small, consistent efforts will build their familiarity with the zones and how to use them. As the child begins to self-regulate more effectively, you’ll find yourself needing to intervene less, allowing you to focus on teaching the rest of the class.
Understanding the Perspective of a Child with Autism
To better understand why emotional regulation can be so difficult for children with autism, it’s helpful to consider the experience of sensory overload. A classroom that might seem perfectly ordinary to you can feel overwhelming to a child with heightened sensory sensitivity—like hearing every whisper, movement, and ticking clock all at once.
This short video from Act for Autism offers a powerful glimpse into what sensory overload might feel like for a child:
By recognising how overwhelming the classroom environment can be, we can develop greater empathy for children with autism and adapt our teaching to better support them.
A Flexible Tool for Your Classroom
This resource is one of many tools you can use to support emotional regulation in your classroom. Alongside the Zones of Calm and Control poster, we’ve also developed other resources to help children feel more supported and independent, including:
- Find your Focus: Breathwork Bundle
- Find your Focus: Maze Bundle
- Express Yourself: I need, I want, I feel
- First, Next, Then: A Visual Timetable
- Emotions Cards
- Traffic Light Support
- Noise Level: Classroom Management Strategy
These tools are designed not only to help children with autism but to support the emotional wellbeing of all children, creating a calmer and more inclusive classroom environment for everyone.
Small Steps, Big Results
As with any new strategy, the key to success is patience and consistency. Take small steps to introduce the resource, personalise it for the child, and integrate it into your daily routine. Over time, you’ll see the benefits—not just for the child but for your entire class and for yourself.
Supporting emotional regulation is a journey, but you’re not alone. With the right tools, understanding, and a little creativity, we can help all children thrive in the classroom and beyond.
Would you like to make a start with the Zones of Calm and Control? Download the resource today and take the first step toward building emotional regulation skills with your students!
