Understanding Regulation

As an occupational therapist, a common goal for individuals I work with is to support their ability to regulate in their everyday lives.  But what is regulation? And how do we work on building capacities in this area?

For me, an anchor in this work is first to think about what regulation actually means - hint, it doesn't mean being calm! One of my favorite definitions is “the ability to achieve, monitor and change one’s state to match the demands of the environment of the situation” (2). This could be one’s state matching the demands in everyday experiences such as getting ready to go to bed or shifting energy states from active play on the playground to the classroom. 

Once we understand what regulation is, it seems important to think of what influences one’s regulation abilities.  Commonly people think of “sensory overwhelm” as influencing regulation - which is true! It is also critical to think of other factors that impact regulation including task demand, nutrition, felt sense of safety, and connection. These factors are unique to an individual and may be a different combination of factors depending on the moment, environment or experience.  

Finally, we must also consider the progression of how we develop regulation abilities.  Co-regulation is a cornerstone for self-regulation so we need to think about ways to provide opportunities for co-regulation as a building block of self-regulation.   Which often means thinking about and supporting our own regulation capacities as the caregiver with an individual who is developing their ability to regulate. Definitions like this one capture the connection based experience of co-regulation  - “co-regulation refers to warm, receptive and supportive interactions between the caregiver and child that provide guidance and modulation of the child’s emotions, behaviors and thoughts” (1).   It takes LOTS of co-regulation practice to move towards self regulation.  And…co-regulation is something we might return to in moments of need.   

When l learn and think about concepts like regulation I often like to visualize what it “looks like” in therapy sessions.  Sometimes, moments of supporting regulation involve mutual enjoyment of a physical activity, such as playing ping pong or riding a swing.  Other moments might include simple activities in a shared space, such as sitting on a bean bag reading a book or hanging out in a play fort.  Sometimes these moments are brief and occur in small moments to meet an individual’s needs. Sometimes these activities last for longer periods and include a variety of emotional expressions such as gestures and giggling. These moments I often feel the most “in sync” with the clients I work with and they sometimes will show me they are feeling the same way - this might be maintaining proximity and mutual engagement with an activity or them commenting positively about our time together.  Because attunement - or the ability to match affect between a child and caregiver to create emotional synchrony - is so essential for regulation, it will be highlighted in an upcoming blog post, so stay tuned.

References - 

1.Kostøl, E. M. F., & Kovač, V. B. (2023). Co-regulation in dyadic parent–child relationships: a video analysis of well-functioning interactions. Early Child Development and Care, 194(1), 72–86.

2. Oetter, P., Richter, E.W., Frick, S.W. (1995). M.O.R.E. Integrating the Mouth with Sensory and Postural Functions 2nd Edition. Stillwater, MN: Pileated Press, LLC