The Autism Project - Session 5

 8/8/25

The Autism Project 
RTLB services

Emotional Learning

Are there specific PB4L lessons or Skills Streaming we could use?

Be Good People

Pig and Elephant stories

Social learning needs to be authentic and repeated.

Using an arrow (with the timetable)

Emotions impact everything.

Big Emotions - 

Code word to go in or out, depending on where you are

In a heightened state, you cannot give them consequences or negotiate.

Behaviours of concern

Don't only affect teachers, students, 'the student', parents

<insert behaviour of concern photo>

Arc of Emotional Regulation

Behaviours of concern are in the red.

Alexithymia

Alexithymia is a personality trait characterized by difficulty identifying, experiencing, and expressing emotions, both in oneself and in others. It's often described as "emotional blindness". People with alexithymia may struggle to understand and describe their own feelings, and they may also have trouble recognizing emotions in others, potentially leading to social awkwardness. 

body heat map for Alexithymia

Visuals for teaching

large eye, ear, and heart, thinking bubble.

What does it look like, sound like, feel like? What were you thinking? 

Tantrum v Meltdown

Dr Dan Siegel's model of the brain

Upstairs Brain Tantrum - if you give them what they want their behaviour stops quickly.

Downstairs Brain Tantrum (e.g. meltdown) - overwhelmed, flipped their lid, emotionally flipped. Bring them to a state of calm before we can talk.

Feelings 

Talk more/pay more attention to the "more positive" feelings than the "more negative"

Ratio: 3:1

Feeling cards or coreboards on lanyard

Strategies

• emotional coaching/commenting/descriptive narrative.
  making observations and commenting on it.
  Notice - Name
  "I can see a big smile on your face, you must be feeling happy"
  
  "I can see you're sitting at your desk with your weighted blanket and doing your learing. You're looking calm, well done"
  
  "I can see you've grabbed your putty and squeezed it.  You look calmer."
  
  You can coach by noticing and naming other students when the focus student is around them.  When your focus student does it you NEED to NOTICE AND NAME IT.
  
  
• Mirrors
  "sorry face", learning emotions, self-care
• Visual Prompts and Cue Cards - focus on a couple for the term.  Could have a lanyard of them.
• Breathing - co-regulate with your student.  Jelly Belly Breathing.  Blowing up a balloon.  Breathing whistle. Whole class teaching on this, practice regularly.
• Puppets - could use wooden dolls, paint your own wooden dolls, and high interest dolls e.g. moana.
• Themometer
• Zones - Needs to be taught explicity, is interactive.
• Calm Down Space
• Heavy Work - Sensational Brain
• Sensory Toys (hippy stick)

Equity poster