What occupational therapy techniques help children with emotional regulation?

Occupational therapists mainly help children with emotional regulation by teaching self-regulation and coping skills inside everyday activities, and by coaching parents. The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists lists teaching self-regulation strategies and coping skills as part of the pediatric OT role, and notes that OTs work with caregivers to set priorities, carry out strategies and check over time whether they are working.

Techniques you may see, and what the research says about them:

• Thinking and activity-based strategies: helping a child recognise how their body and feelings change, put a name to it, and choose a strategy. A 2018 systematic review found these cognitive and occupation-based approaches can improve self-regulation, although the number of studies was small.

• Parent coaching: for children under five, a 2020 systematic review found that parent-child interaction therapy and parent training can improve child behaviour and how parents respond.

• Sensory activities, such as scheduled movement breaks: these may help some children, but a recent systematic review rated the evidence for sensory activity schedules as low and advised tracking each child's progress individually.

Because the evidence varies, a good plan names clear, everyday goals (for example, calmer mornings before school) and checks whether they are actually being met, rather than relying on any one technique.

If big feelings are regularly disrupting home, school or friendships, talk with a registered occupational therapist, who can assess what is driving the difficulty and suggest whether a speech-language pathologist, BCBA or other professional should also be involved.