Why do children with autism struggle emotionally?
Children with autism often have cognitive deficits that include decreased concentration, impaired social communication, and poor emotion regulation—all of which can cause them to struggle emotionally. Emotion regulation is a complex cognitive process that entails recognizing and modifying emotional responses in a goal-directed manner. This instinctive action regulates the type, intensity, and duration of an emotional response.
Research that involves the comparison of children who have autism to those who do not shows that autistic children:
- Display more emotion regulation difficulties
- Are less efficient at using emotion regulation coping techniques
- Demonstrate irregular patterns of emotion regulation strategy use
For some children with autism, emotion regulation problems may make it difficult for them to recognize their emotions, while others may feel certain emotions more intensely (e.g., irritability, nervousness). Sensory sensitivities, social challenges, and difficulty coping with changes can further increase stress and frustration levels. These factors may contribute to repetitive actions, maladaptive behaviors, and meltdowns that are often observed, as well as more pronounced emotion dysregulation.
What Is Emotion Dysregulation?
Emotion dysregulation is defined as the inappropriate or ineffective regulation of emotions that leads to negative feelings, thoughts, judgments, and behaviors. The first step of healthy emotion regulation involves being able to identify an emotion that needs to be regulated. Recognition then triggers the use of regulation strategies that aim at either increasing or decreasing the emotion. The entire emotion regulation process entails the following five steps:
- Situation selection or identification – this involves recognizing an emotion-evoking situation and deciding whether to avoid or approach the situation
- Situation modification – this is the problem-solving step when a mental plan of action begins
- Attentional deployment – this step involves either paying more attention to the situation or actively engaging in deflection
- Cognitive change – this involves cognitive processes that help interpret the situation (e.g., perception, memory/recall)
- Response modulation – this step refers to the type, intensity, and duration of the emotion that is expressed in response to the situation
In general, positive emotions are typically welcomed and encouraged, while negative emotions often trigger more specific strategies that help resolve issues and improve feelings. Although this process occurs naturally for most people, those with autism may struggle to:
- Identify certain emotions
- Understand why they are feeling certain emotions
- Activate emotion regulation strategies
- Use regulation strategies effectively or in an appropriate manner
- Recognize changes in their internal or external environment that trigger emotions
This form of emotion dysregulation is sometimes described as one of the primary underlying causes of all core autistic symptoms.
Furthermore, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are among the most common emotional disorders associated with autism. The reported incidence of depression is between 17% and 70%, while the incidence of anxiety is between 14% and 84%. These incidence rates also appear to be related to emotion dysregulation in autism.
These well-documented findings regarding emotional struggles children with autism typically face suggest that teaching them effective ways to recognize and manage their emotions can help improve emotion dysregulation.
Approaches To Improving Emotion Dysregulation
Incorporating emotion regulation activities into daily interactions, particularly play-based tasks, can help children with autism learn recognition, management, and coping skills. The following examples may be useful:
- Use play to encourage a child to explore his or her emotions – Play-based activities such as painting, puppet or action-figure play, messy play, drawing, music play, or dancing games can help develop preschool and school-age emotions.
- Encourage a child to participate in play-based applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy – this is a beneficial intervention for autistic children who struggle emotionally. Sessions may involve teaching and modeling emotions through specialized games, toys, tools, or interactive videos.
- Label emotions as they are encountered throughout the day – A parent or caregiver can point out emotions while playing, watching television (TV), reading, or interacting with others. For example, while watching TV, if a child’s favorite character (e.g., bunny) is smiling, a parent can point to the character and say “the bunny is happy.”
- Model appropriate responses to different emotions – A parent can use emotion cards that have pictures of faces or actions to teach appropriate responses to emotions. For example, after showing a picture of a child with a frown, a parent could say “She is sad, when you feel sad, you can ask for a hug” and then model the behavior by hugging a teddy bear.
Helping a child with autism learn how to manage emotions appropriately takes time and practice, but it is an important tool that has a lasting impact.
Children who have autism spectrum disorder often face emotional struggles due to an impaired ability to identify, interpret, and respond appropriately to their or other people’s emotions. This common issue is referred to as emotion dysregulation—a cognitive deficit that appears to contribute to frequently observed behaviors and emotional issues (e.g., anxiety, depression) that are characteristic of autism.
Using everyday interactions and play-based techniques to increase emotional awareness is a beneficial way to help children with autism learn more about their emotions and how to interact with others. Working with specialists such as ABA therapists also helps children acquire skills they need to better manage emotions.
Songbird Therapy is a technology-enabled provider setting a higher standard for children’s autism care. With a deeply passionate team and innovative technology, we’re building a world where every child can access world-class care at home, uniquely tailored to them.
Kwa nini watoto wenye ugonjwa wa akili hupambana na hisia? Watoto wenye ugonjwa wa akili mara nyingi huwa na kasoro za utambuzi ambazo hutia ndani kupungua kwa umakini, kupungua kwa mawasiliano ya kijamii, na udhibiti duni wa hisia - ambazo zote zinaweza kuwafanya wapate shida ya kihisia. Udhibiti wa hisia ni mchakato tata wa utambuzi ambao unahusisha kutambua na kurekebisha majibu ya hisia kwa njia ya lengo. Hatua hiyo ya kiasili husababisha aina, nguvu, na muda wa majibu ya kihisia-moyo. Utafiti unaohusisha kulinganisha watoto walio na autism na wale ambao hawana huonyesha kwamba watoto wenye autism: wana matatizo zaidi ya udhibiti wa hisia, wana ufanisi mdogo katika kutumia mbinu za kukabiliana na udhibiti wa hisia, wanaonyesha mifumo isiyo ya kawaida ya kutumia mkakati wa udhibiti wa hisia, kwa baadhi ya watoto wenye autism, matatizo ya udhibiti wa hisia yanaweza kuwa vigumu kwao kutambua hisia zao, wakati wengine wanaweza kuhisi hisia fulani kwa nguvu zaidi. Hisia-moyo, magumu ya kijamii, na ugumu wa kukabiliana na mabadiliko yaweza kuongeza zaidi viwango vya mkazo na kuvunjika moyo. Mambo hayo yanaweza kusababisha watu kufanya mambo mara kwa mara, tabia zisizofaa, na kushindwa kusitawisha hisia, na pia kusababisha hisia zisizofaa. Ugonjwa wa Kusimamisha Hisia-moyo Ni Nini? Uharibifu wa hisia hufafanuliwa kama udhibiti usiofaa au usiofaa wa hisia ambazo husababisha hisia hasi, mawazo, hukumu, na tabia. Hatua ya kwanza ya kudhibiti hisia zenye afya inahusisha kuweza kutambua hisia zinazohitaji kudhibitiwa. Kutambua kisha husababisha matumizi ya mikakati ya udhibiti ambayo inalenga ama kuongeza au kupunguza hisia. "Mtazamo wa ""kuchagua"" ni hatua ya kwanza ya mchakato wa kuamua ikiwa ni muhimu au sio, na hatua ya mwisho ni ""kuamua"" ikiwa ni muhimu au sio, na hatua ya pili ni ""kuamua"" ikiwa ni muhimu au sio, na hatua ya pili ni ""kuamua"" ikiwa ni muhimu au sio, na hatua ya pili ni ""kuamua"" ikiwa ni muhimu au sio." Ingawa mchakato huu hutokea kwa kawaida kwa watu wengi, wale wenye autism wanaweza kupambana na: kutambua hisia fulani, kuelewa kwa nini wanahisi hisia fulani, kuamsha mikakati ya udhibiti wa hisia, kutumia mikakati ya udhibiti kwa ufanisi au kwa njia sahihi, kutambua mabadiliko katika mazingira yao ya ndani au ya nje ambayo husababisha hisia, aina hii ya dysregulation ya hisia wakati mwingine huelezwa kama moja ya sababu za msingi za dalili zote za msingi za autism. Kwa kuongezea, matatizo ya afya ya akili kama vile mshuko wa moyo na wasiwasi ni miongoni mwa matatizo ya kawaida ya kihisia yanayohusiana na ugonjwa wa akili. Ugonjwa wa kushuka moyo unaoripotiwa kuwa kati ya asilimia 17 na 70 na wasiwasi kati ya asilimia 14 na 84 Viwango hivi vya kuambukizwa pia vinaonekana kuhusiana na kutoweza kudhibiti hisia katika ugonjwa wa akili. Matokeo haya yaliyoandikwa vizuri kuhusu mapambano ya kihisia ya watoto wenye autism kwa kawaida yanaonyesha kwamba kuwafundisha njia bora za kutambua na kusimamia hisia zao zinaweza kusaidia kuboresha dysregulation ya hisia. Kuingiza shughuli za udhibiti wa hisia katika mwingiliano wa kila siku, haswa kazi za kucheza, zinaweza kusaidia watoto wenye autism kujifunza utambuzi, usimamizi, na ujuzi wa kukabiliana. Mifano ifuatayo inaweza kuwa muhimu: - Tumia mchezo ili kumtia moyo mtoto kuchunguza hisia zake. - Shughuli za mchezo kama vile uchoraji, mchezo wa wanasesere au mchezo wa hatua, mchezo wa fujo, kuchora, kucheza muziki, au michezo ya kucheza inaweza kusaidia kuendeleza hisia za umri wa kabla ya shule na shule. - Kuhamasisha mtoto kushiriki katika mchezo-msingi kutumika tabia uchambuzi (ABA) tiba <unk> hii ni uingiliaji manufaa kwa watoto autistic ambao wanajitahidi kihisia. Vikao vinaweza kuhusisha kufundisha na kuiga hisia kupitia michezo maalumu, vitu vya kuchezea, vifaa, au video zenye kuingiliana. - Weka alama kwenye hisia kama zinavyokutana siku nzima <unk> Mzazi au mtazamaji anaweza kuonyesha hisia wakati wa kucheza, kutazama televisheni (TV), kusoma, au kuingiliana na wengine. "Kwa mfano, wakati wa kutazama TV, kama tabia ya mtoto (kwa mfano, bunny) ni tabasamu, mzazi anaweza kuonyesha tabia na kusema ""bunny ni furaha"" - mfano majibu sahihi kwa hisia tofauti. mzazi anaweza kutumia kadi hisia kwamba kuwa na picha ya nyuso au vitendo kufundisha majibu sahihi kwa hisia." Kwa mfano, baada ya kuonyesha picha ya mtoto mwenye nywele nyembamba, mzazi aweza kusema <unk> Yeye ni mwenye huzuni, unapohisi huzuni, unaweza kuomba kukumbatiwa <unk> kisha uonyeshe tabia hiyo kwa kukumbatiwa na dubu wa teddy. Kumsaidia mtoto mwenye ugonjwa wa akili kujifunza jinsi ya kusimamia hisia zake kwa njia inayofaa huchukua muda na mazoezi, lakini ni chombo muhimu ambacho kina athari ya kudumu. Watoto walio na ugonjwa wa autism mara nyingi wanakabiliwa na mapambano ya kihisia kwa sababu ya uwezo wa kudhibiti, kutafsiri, na kujibu kwa usahihi hisia zao au za watu wengine. Suala hili la kawaida linaitwa dysregulation ya hisia - upungufu wa utambuzi ambao unaonekana kuchangia tabia zinazochunguzwa mara kwa mara na masuala ya kihemko (kwa mfano, wasiwasi, unyogovu) ambayo ni sifa ya autism. Kutumia mwingiliano wa kila siku na mbinu za kucheza ili kuongeza ufahamu wa hisia ni njia nzuri ya kuwasaidia watoto wenye autism kujifunza zaidi juu ya hisia zao na jinsi ya kuingiliana na wengine. Kufanya kazi na wataalamu kama vile wataalamu wa ABA pia husaidia watoto kupata ujuzi wanaohitaji ili kusimamia hisia zao vizuri. Songbird Therapy ni mtoa huduma wa teknolojia inayowezesha kuweka kiwango cha juu kwa utunzaji wa watoto wenye ugonjwa wa akili. Kwa timu yenye shauku kubwa na teknolojia ya ubunifu, tunajenga ulimwengu ambapo kila mtoto anaweza kupata huduma ya kiwango cha ulimwengu nyumbani, iliyoundwa kipekee kwa ajili yao.