03/01/2026
With dysregulation, thinking and behavior can get erratic. Tantrums erupt. Crying gets loud - or aggressive.
⚡️Emotions can suddenly flare, flooding the body with adrenaline and leaving us in a fight/flight response. Other times it can leave us clumsy or scattered. Guarded or reactive.
In that moment, children cannot follow instructions or requests to tell what happened.
Here are some things you can do to ground them.
1. Move close.
2. Hold a hand or a shoulder.
3. Get down to their level.
4. Hold the space for a beat.
5. Use just a few words. "I'm here." or "This is hard," is plenty.
6. Avoid asking for explanations or about feelings in the moment
7. Listen, if a child has things to say, without disrupting if possible.
8. Hold the thought that they are a good kid having a hard time.
This strategy helps to support a child through their full arc of emotional expression.
Keep at it and you will see that your own calm, close and warm attention anchors the child and they can co-regulate with you.
Listening to a child like this helps their bodies learn what they need to feel centered and giving them an outlet shifts the feelings and emotions behind dysregulation.
This evidence-based approach is trusted and practiced by educators, therapists, counsellors and parents worldwide.
