Finding the Right Support for Your Child’s Big Feelings
Parenting strategies such as co-regulation can help families respond to big feelings at home. If your child needs more tailored support, the right service depends on what is getting in the way of their everyday participation.
What Can Emotional Dysregulation Look Like in Children?
All children experience big feelings. Emotional regulation develops over time, and children often need support from the adults around them to manage emotions that feel overwhelming.
Some children may need additional support when big feelings begin to regularly get in the way of everyday life. You might notice your child:
becomes overwhelmed or frustrated quickly
has difficulty calming after becoming upset
finds transitions or unexpected changes particularly difficult
has strong responses to sensory experiences such as noise, clothing, busy environments or touch
becomes very upset when things do not go as expected
avoids activities or situations they find overwhelming
has difficulty participating in family routines, school, play or friendships because of big emotions
Rather than looking only at the behaviour we can see, it can be helpful to consider what might be making the situation difficult for your child and what support they may need.
When Occupational Therapy May Help
Paediatric occupational therapy can support children when emotional regulation difficulties are connected with sensory processing, play, classroom participation, friendships, transitions, self-care or everyday routines.
An occupational therapist looks at the whole child and considers what may be contributing to their difficulties. This may include their sensory needs, developmental skills, environment, routines and the demands of everyday activities.
Our paediatric occupational therapists work with children and families to develop practical strategies and skills that support participation at home, school and in the community.
When Behaviour Support May Help
If your family is looking for support with coping skills, transitions, engagement, collaboration or behaviours of concern, our behaviour team offers family-centred Behaviour Intervention.
Our behaviour team provides family-centred Behaviour Intervention, with a focus on understanding the child, the function of behaviour and the environments and relationships around them. Strategies can then be developed to support the child and family in everyday situations.
Positive Behaviour Support is delivered in collaboration with To the Moon and Back Interventions. Find out more about behaviour support here.
When Might Parent Support Help?
Sometimes supporting a child’s emotional regulation starts with supporting the relationship around them.
Our Circle of Security Parenting program helps parents and caregivers better understand what may be happening underneath their child’s behaviour and how they can respond to their child’s emotional needs.
The program focuses on strengthening connection, understanding your child’s cues and building confidence in supporting them through big feelings and challenging moments.
A parent focused program such as Circle of Security is a helpful starting point or may compliment your child’s individual therapy.
Not Sure Which Service Fits?
It is not always obvious which service is the best starting point, and you do not need to work this out on your own.You do not need to decide alone!
When you contact Moving Mountains Village, tell us about what you are noticing at home, preschool, school or in the community. This might include big emotional reactions, sensory overwhelm, difficulty with transitions, challenges participating in routines or behaviours that are becoming difficult for your child or family.
The team can use your intake information to help identify an appropriate service that is most suited to the support your child and family.
How Do I Enquire About Emotional Regulation Support?
If you are looking for emotional regulation support for your child, start by contacting the team or booking an appointment.
When you enquire, let us know the situations your child finds difficult for your child, what you have already tried and where their emotional regulation is having the biggest impact on everyday life.
Our team will guide you towards teh service that best matches your child’s needs, whether that is occupational therapy, behaviour support or another pathway within our team.
