Discover proactive strategies for managing your child’s emotional dysregulation.

By Holly Blanc Moses, MS, LCMHC, LPA, ADHD-CCSP, ASDCS

Imagine your body as a car with a unique engine. For autistic individuals, this engine, or the autonomic nervous system, runs with its special timing and sensitivity.

When an autistic child becomes emotionally dysregulated during what seems like an ordinary moment, they’re not being difficult. Their engine’s “alert system,” the sympathetic nervous system, has kicked into high gear, responding to an internal or external threat that might barely register for others.

A heightened sympathetic system

This sympathetic system, responsible for our “fight, flight, freeze, and fawn” responses, is often more active in autistic people. Their bodies are typically on high alert for the next threat, with higher heart rates, shallow breathing, muscle tension, blood flow redistribution, gastrointestinal slowdown, and more.

What most consider a minor schedule change or easy-to-follow task can become a physiological crisis for an autistic individual, setting off cascading reactions.

In addition to a heightened sympathetic nervous system, many autistic children start the day with lower energy reserves due to sleep challenges, dietary restrictions, and high anxiety.

Additionally, they may struggle to recognize and express their emotions and needs. Emotional and physical needs can feel like mysterious visitors that arrive without warning, so we must become detectives to help support autistic children.