LIFE IS 10% WHAT HAPPENS TO US AND 90% HOW WE REACT TO IT.
-CHARLES SWINDOLL
"Regulation is something everyone continually works on whether we are cognizant of it. We all encounter trying circ*mstances that test our limits from time to time. If we can recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes more naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs more attention and practice.This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short)."- Leah Kuypers, Creator of The Zones of Regulation
What are the Zones of Regulation?
The Zones of Regulationframework and curriculum (Kuypers, 2011) teaches students scaffolded skills toward developing a metacognitive pathway to build awareness of their feelings/internal state and utilize a variety of tools and strategies for regulation, prosocial skills, self-care, and overall wellness. This includes exploring tools and strategies for mindfulness, sensory integration, movement, thinking strategies, wellness, and healthy connection with others. The Zonesof Regulation provides a common language and compassionate framework to support positive mental health and skill development for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for neurodiverse learners, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific needs in terms of social, emotional, and behavioral development. The Zones of Regulation creates a systematic approach to teach regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones.Integrating in cognitive behavior therapy, students build skills in emotional and sensory regulation, executive functioning, and social cognition. The framework is designed to help move students toward more independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and their unique self.
The Zones of Regulation curriculum incorporates Social Thinking®(www.socialthinking.com)concepts and numerous printable visuals to support students in identifying their feelings/level of alertness, understanding how their behavior impacts outcomes, problem solving conflicts and learning what tools they can use to regulate their Zones.
THE FOUR ZONES: OUR FEELINGS & STATES DETERMINE OUR ZONE
TheRed Zoneis used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone.
TheYellow Zoneis also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions, however one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone. A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone. The
The
Blue Zoneis used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored.
The Zones can be compared to traffic signs. When given a green light or in the Green Zone, one is “good to go”. A yellow sign means be aware or take caution, which applies to the Yellow Zone. A red light or stop sign means stop, and when one is the Red Zone this often is the case. The Blue Zone can be compared to the rest area signs where one goes to rest or re-energize. All of the zones are natural to experience, but the framework focuses on teaching students how to recognize and manage their Zonebased on the environment and its demands and the people around them. For example, when playing on the playground or in an active/competitive game, students are often experiencing a heightened internal state such as silliness or excitement and are in the Yellow Zone, but it may not need to be managed. However, if the environment is changed to the library where there are different expectations than the playground, students may still be in the Yellow Zone but have to manage it differently so their behavior meets the expectations of the library setting.
Benefits of implementing The Zones
INCLUSION:The Zones provides a compassionate framework to support positive mental health and social/emotional learning (SEL) for all, while serving as an inclusion strategy for learners with neurodiversities, those who have experienced trauma, and/or have specific goals related to their social, emotional, and behavioral development.
BEST PRACTICES:The Zones integrates best practices around Trauma Informed Care and mental health supports, aligning with the CASEL core competencies. In addition, The Zones incorporates numerous best practices for instruction with learners with neurodiversity. STEP 1 -
PROACTIVE/SKILL-BASED:The Zones shifts the overall mindset in school environments from a behavioral lens to a universal skill development lens, fostering a healthy school climate.
COMMON LANGUAGE:The Zones provides a neutral and simple language and a systematic framework, improving communication for students and staff.
EFFECTIVE:Schools report implementing The Zones of Regulation increases both student and staff skills and efficacy in SEL while decreasing the need for punitive measures within a school site.
The Story behind the Zones
As an occupational therapist and autism resource specialist working in public schools for six years, I frequently had students on my caseload who were struggling not just with sensory-regulation but also emotional regulation. Too often the time spent with their non-disabled peers was being limited due to my students' frequent outbursts and inability to cope effectively. Adopting Ross Greene’s mantra, “Kids do well if they can” (The Explosive Child, 2006), students were frequently being punished for disruptive behaviors rather than being taught skills to control their behavior. While taking graduate coursework on Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention Deficit/Hyperactive Disorder, I had the idea to create the concept of The Zones of Regulation to teach students to self-regulate their sensory needs as well as their emotions and impulses in order to meet the demands of the environment and be successful academically and socially.
After successfully piloting and expanding on my concept with the students I worked with over a few years, I was encouraged by my colleagues to create a curriculum to support my concept. The Zones of Regulation concept was influenced by the work of Williams and Shellenberger’sThe Alert Program®(1994) and Kari Dunn Buron and Mitzi Curtis’The Incredible 5 Point Scale(2003). As I was designing the curriculum, I integrated best practices in the field of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) into the curriculum and conducted extensive background research in the area of self-regulation, including sensory regulation, emotional regulation, and executive functioning. I also researched how these processes relate to children with ASD and ADHDs’ learning styles. By integrating principles of Simon Baron Cohen’s Systemizing Theory, The Zones provides a system to classify states of arousal, feelings, and emotions into four easily identifiable distinct color-coded Zones. Creating a system such as The Zones to categorize all the complex feelings students experience eases their ability to recognize and communicate how they are feeling, as well as tap into strategies to aid them in self-regulation. While designing the curriculum, I incorporated Michelle Garcia Winner’sSocial Thinking®concepts to help students become more aware of how others are perceiving them when they are regulated versus in less regulated states. By tying in Social Thinking concepts, the lessons on self-regulation become more meaningful to the students’ lives as they gain a deeper understanding of the impact their behavior has on their relationships. Learning activities entail the use of cognitive behavior management strategies to reinforce the use of The Zones of Regulation throughout the student’s day. By using cognitive behavior management, the students learn how to self-monitor and reflect on the effectiveness of their regulation strategies. This method allows students to move away from staff prompts to regulate and to assume personal responsibility in self-regulation.
