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Key points
- Supporting autistic children emotionally means recognizing their unique ways of relating to the world.
- These include unique physiology, socio-emotional processing, and information processing.
- Tailoring interventions to consider each child’s unique needs, abilities, and interests is crucial.
Emotion regulation is a universal challenge for adults and children alike and the primary reason why individuals seek psychological support. Autistic children’s emotion regulation is impacted by unique factors compared to their typically developing peers, such as differences in neurological wiring, sensory processing (including introspective processing), and social understanding.
When it comes to supporting autistic children with emotional regulation, adopting a tailored approach that considers each child’s unique needs instead of a one-size-fits-all approach is crucial.
Understanding each autistic child’s emotional experience requires exploring factors that lie beneath possible externalizing behaviors (such as meltdowns), understanding how their unique characteristics impact their relationship with their environment, and examining the function of their behavior, its antecedents, and its consequences.
The following sections offer a summary of some unique factors that influence emotion regulation in autistic children, as well as implications for effective support.
Unique physiology
Many parents, educators, and therapists believe that autistic children often have elevated baseline levels of hyperarousal (Chang et al., 2012; Kushki et al., 2013; Kushki et al., 2014; Ming et al., 2016). This term refers to heightened sensitivity or reactivity to environmental factors.
In 2021, Arora and colleagues reviewed studies on autonomic function during rest in autistic individuals compared to neurotypical peers. They found that while some autistic individuals may experience hyperarousal, leading to greater emotional sensitivity and distress in some children, the evidence for a general autonomic dysfunction in autistic individuals is currently inconsistent.
Other physiological factors that may impact autistic individuals’ emotional regulation include atypical sensory processing. Baker et al. (2008) found a positive correlation between sensory processing challenges and behavioral and emotional challenges in autistic children. One possible explanation for this is that an increase in physiological discomfort that accompanies sensory processing challenges adds to an internal experience of distress for autistic children.
An additional point of difference between typically developing and neurodiverse children that impacts their emotional regulation relates to aspects of their executive functioning (mental processes relating to managing thoughts and actions, such as focusing of attention, organization, working memory, regulation of impulses, or adapting to changes).
For instance, autistic children find it more challenging to stop behavioral responses (Schmitt et al., 2018), which can manifest as heightened impulsivity or reduced ability to modify their behavior according to context (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2001). This can also manifest as an increased prevalence of externalizing responses, which are behaviors used to express emotions.
Another physiological difference between autistic and typically developing children that may affect their processing of emotions is a hypothesized pattern of “long-range functional underconnectivity” between various areas of their brains (Pereira et al., 2020). One specific example is a long-range underconnectivity between the amygdala (the region of the brain associated with generating self-relevant emotions) and prefrontal cortex (the region of the brain associated with executive functions, including working memory, organization of behavior, inhibition of behavior, or perspective taking) (Rausch et al., 2016). The underconnectivity between these two areas may impact many processes, such as comprehension of emotions as well as behavioral inhibitory processes.
Another example of long-range underconnectivity is between brain areas that detect bodily sensations and cortical regions involved in interpretation (Edisch et al., 2011; Nicholson et al., 2018). This may be associated with autistic children experiencing challenges with comprehending or interpreting their inner experience, otherwise referred to as introspection. For instance, Rieffe et al. (2007) found that autistic children experienced challenges with identifying their own emotions. This may be especially salient when interpreting complex emotions such as pride (Capps et al., 1992).
In addition, Uljarevic & Hamilton (2013) noted differences in patterns of responsiveness in the fusiform area, which is hypothesized to be involved in detecting differences in facial expressions. Autistic children may find it more difficult to recognize negative emotions in others (Uljarevic & Hamilton, 2013), which, in turn, impacts their social understanding and cognitive appraisal of situations.
Unique information processing
Autistic and non-autistic children appraise situations differently due to differences in how they process information. Literature suggests that appraisal is an important element of the emotional regulation process that shapes how one’s emotions unfold, and it has been suggested that appraisal should be accompanied by a drive to make behavioral responses (Cole et al., 2019).
For instance, autistic children show preferences for detail-focused and interest-focused cognitive styles and literal interpretations. In addition, they may show a reduced preference for attending to social vs. non-social stimuli. For instance, Jaedicke et al. (1994) found that autistic children made fewer references to social interactions when describing what makes them feel various emotions.
Another factor that affects differences in emotional regulation in autistic and typically developing children is differences in behaviors relating to social communication. One can predict that social communication challenges would heighten an individual’s experience of distress, as well as negatively impact the co-regulation dynamics between themselves and their communication partners. Burton et al. (2020) found an association between parental and teacher reports of social skills and children’s self-report of emotional challenges in autistic children aged between 7 and 13 years.
Several studies confirmed an association between joint attention (the sharing of one’s attention) and emotional regulation, including Morales et al. (2005) and Jahromi et al. (2019).
Finally, autistic individuals differ in the type of stimulus that triggers their emotions. Lau et al. (2020) explored how autistic and non-autistic young people experience anxiety and found that, in addition to anxieties experienced by neurotypical peers (such as around social evaluation, fear of punishment, or environmental dangers, to name a few), autistic children additionally experienced specific fears relating to being on the spectrum, including around sensory stimuli (e.g., loud or high-pitched noises), phobias relating to specific situations, phobias relating to unusual objects (for instance, buttons or stickers), or phobias in relation to changes in routines or in their environment.
Support strategies
Supporting autistic children’s emotion regulation starts with recognizing the unique way in which they process information and relate to the world. Practical strategies that can support autistic children’s emotion regulation can include:
- Exploring what needs and triggers lie beneath possible externalizing behaviors (such as meltdowns)
- Creating a sensory-friendly environment that reduces overwhelming stimuli
- Supplementing communication with visual support to grow awareness and nurture communication, such as emotion charts and visual schedules
- Providing explicit or direct instruction on recognizing emotion in self and others, such as an explanation about what someone’s nonverbal cues mean
- Respecting unique self-regulation strategies, such as stimming, and collaborating with the child on utilizing what is effective for them
- Making therapy more accessible by breaking down complex concepts into smaller steps while making them easier to understand through visuals
- Using special interests to increase engagement
- Utilizing mindfulness exercises, keeping them brief, structured, and simple
- Being open to trialing apps and technology
- Encouraging self-compassion and acceptance at emotionally challenging times by appreciating that feelings are not wrong and are important for letting us know what we want and need
Creating sensory-friendly environments, fostering emotional awareness through autism-friendly means such as explicit instruction and visual support, and building supportive social environments that build on their strengths and respect their individuality and uniqueness can all help create environments that support their emotional well-being and development.
