Section 5: Daily Regulation Tools and Home Environments

Regulation is not a reward. It is survival.

For Deaf+ children, dysregulation isn’t a moment — it’s a nervous system pattern. They’re not overreacting. They’re overloading. They’re not seeking attention. They’re seeking control. They’re not being defiant. Their body is stuck in a state of fight, flight, or freeze.

You can’t discipline a body out of crisis. You can only regulate it, support it, and then build it forward.

Understanding Your Child’s Regulation System

Autistic children process the world differently:

• They take in more information.

• They don’t filter sounds, sights, or smells the same.

• Their body doesn’t always tell them what it needs.

• Their nervous system can’t reset on command.

And if they’re also Deaf or Hard of Hearing, they don’t hear the warnings. They miss the soft cues. They don’t know what they missed until their body reacts.

Signs of Dysregulation You Might Miss

• Hands in mouth constantly

• Repeating words/sounds/signs over and over

• Hitting, biting, crashing into walls

• Sudden laughter or squeals

• Bolting or spinning

• Clingy and silent after a high-stress event

• Suddenly pushing people or knocking things over

Many families only notice when the meltdown comes. But regulation was off long before that.

Types of Sensory Regulation Tools

System	What It Affects	Support Tools
Vestibular (balance/movement)	Motion tolerance, calm	Swing, trampoline, rocking chair
Proprioceptive (body awareness)	Body in space, pressure seeking	Weighted blanket, wall pushes, pulling laundry
Tactile	Touch, textures	Sand bin, water play, fidget toys
Auditory	Sound sensitivity	Noise-canceling headphones, visual alerts
Visual	Light, color, patterns	Lava lamp, low lighting, calm visuals
Oral/Mouth	Chewing, calming	Chewies, straws, crunchy snacks
Interoception	Internal needs (pain, hunger, bathroom)	Body check visuals, sign for HURT, bathroom schedule

Build a Sensory Toolkit at Home

Create a regulation station your child can access anytime — no punishment, no asking required.

What to include:

• Weighted lap pad

• Chewy necklace or oral motor toy

• Visual timer

• Mirror with ASL emotion faces

• Fidget bin (texture, squish, spinners)

• ASL "I NEED BREAK" and "I'M MAD" cards

• Sensory mat or floor cushion

Make this station part of daily life — not just a time-out for “bad” behavior.

Daily Somatic Exercises to Regulate the Nervous System

The vagus nerve is the body’s calm-down controller. When overstimulated, it can shut down digestion, speech, and executive function. We need to activate it gently and often.

Exercise	How to Use
Humming	Sit together and hum “mmmmm” or low notes with a stuffed animal on the chest
Wall push	Push into the wall with flat palms, hold for 10 seconds
Breath stacking	Inhale, hold, add more air, then exhale slowly — add sign “BREATHE”
Rocking with weight	Sit in rocking chair with weighted blanket and sway slowly
Straw bubble blow	Blow through straw into water with dish soap or a squishy cup
Stomp and sign	“MAD” stomp while signing MAD in front of a mirror

Make this a before-school and after-transition routine. Teach your child to request it with a break card, “HELP” sign, or sensory menu.

Plan Regulation Into the Day — Don’t Wait for a Meltdown

Morning	Jump on trampoline, chew crunchy breakfast, calm signs
Mid-morning	Push heavy laundry basket, stretch break, wall press
After lunch	Dim lights, swing or calm music, chew toy or breathing
Afternoon	Body check sign board (HUNGRY? TIRED? NEED?)
Evening	Rocking chair, soft textures, visual emotion story

Regulation is not optional. It’s not earned. It’s daily maintenance for a complex system.

And when your child feels regulated — They learn. They communicate. They connect.