Emotional regulation can be a difficult skill to master for those with ASD or ADHD.
Teaching appropriate activities to do after identifying the emotion you are feeling is VERY important in helping students learn how to safely navigate their feelings.
It is NOT about control, it’s about management or regulation. Many students get frusterated they can’t just STOP being mad for example and will be triggered by phrases like “calm down”.
They need to be guided to the conclusion that “calm down” and other similar phrases are referring to “go take care of yourself”.
So today’s resource is a poster, that can become a banner if cut horizontally. Or cards you can hand to your students or keep on a ring.
Like always, I take requests. I used free images from Canva to create this resource.
Update: 7/5/2025
I decided to change the color system to Blue/Green/Yellow/Red
- to match my other emotional posters
- stay consistent
- to match traffic stop light logic
Hope it helps! Having multiple color posters in the classroom doesn’t work for autistic children after using it in the classroom for a week haha
Update: 1/16/2026
We’ve updated the look! We desaturated the colors a tad, re-aligned the images and text, reworded some of the activities, and updated some of the faces.
A note on the “I can also…?” text at the bottom of each zone:
We included the “I can also…?” line as an invitation for you to take note of specific strategies that work for you.
While our poster offers suggestions for each zone, this list is not set in stone. As you try different strategies, note what works and what doesn’t. Try them at different emotional states.
The more you learn about what your body needs, the better you can care for yourself during stress, because planning ahead with strategies unique to you is how we regain independence and thrive.
