Building a Regulation Toolbox: Calming Strategies for Children and Adults Artwork

The How to ABA Podcast

We are Shira and Shayna and we are so excited to bring you our first podcast episode of How to ABA! We are both BCBAs with over twenty years of experience, and as you can imagine, we have created and gathered so many resources in that time. We want to share them with you! That’s why we are here, and that’s why we created this podcast. If you are new to the world of ABA, are looking for new resources, or just looking for a fresh perspective, you’re in the right place!

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The How to ABA Podcast

Building a Regulation Toolbox: Calming Strategies for Children and Adults

April 08, 2025 • Shira Karpel & Shayna Gaunt • Episode 197

Self-regulation is a challenge for many of our learners. Having a personalized regulation toolbox makes a huge difference in a child's ability to navigate their emotions and daily challenges. This toolbox is made up of a set of calming strategies tailored to each person’s unique needs. Here, we discuss how we can help learners develop the skill of self-regulation and a set of tools that works for them.

We start by talking through the importance of having an emotional regulation toolbox and how to help learners identify their triggers. We discuss how to look at functions of behavior and introduce replacement skills. We also discuss what to avoid when building a toolbox, how to foster independence in our learners, and how to tailor a toolbox to individual needs.

What’s Inside:

How an emotional regulation toolbox helps learners navigate life’s challenges
How to identify functions of behavior and introduce replacement skills
How to tailor emotional regulation toolboxes to individual needs

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Calming Activities List