We often hear the words emotional regulation and ADHD thrown around in the same sentence, but did you know emotional regulation is NOT part of the diagnostic criteria for ADHD? So why do we hear about both? The connection between ADHD and emotional regulation is well studied and documented but left out of the diagnostic criteria of the DSM-5. Researchers left it out because it wasn’t considered a “behavioral symptom,” and they didn’t want any confusion with other disorders. With that exclusion, researchers may have left out a key component of ADHD.

As occupational therapy practitioners, we have the expertise and know-how to bridge this gap and support children and families with regulation difficulties. We understand and can guide families to help support their child through co-regulation and sensory-based activities that regulate both the mind and body.

Emotional regulation is often guided by the body’s response to how the nervous system takes in and filters sensory information. Cognitive strategies are only successful once the body is calm and regulated. Occupational therapy practitioners are knowledgeable in the interventions and techniques to support a calm and regulated state which also impacts one’s emotional regulation.

Through activities that incorporate movement along with deep pressure and heavy work, a child’s regulatory state (including emotional) can begin to shift. Occupational therapy practitioners are the guiding force behind what we mean by “calm down”. They are more than just words, it is a state of being and occupational therapy practitioners have the answers as to how and why emotional regulation should be supported for all children but especially those with ADHD.