To what extent are 5 children in a primary school in Kent with Autism Spectrum Disorder able to accurately recognise and regulate emotions?

Abstract

Throughout educational research, there are many suggestions that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulty with regulating their emotions. However, despite the extensive research, there seems to be little about focussing on the amount that children with ASD emotionally regulate. This paper attempts to discuss what emotional regulation means and the importance of recognising and regulating emotions.

The small case study within the paper focusses on 5 children within a primary school in Kent who have ASD. These pupils are a range of ages, with one pupil in Reception, two pupils from a Year 3 class and two pupils from a Year 5 class. The case study took place over 8 days, and involves questionnaires and interviews which consider the emotional responses of the children involved within the study. Through conversational analysis, the paper first looks at the individual’s ability to recognise emotions, followed by looking at the individual’s emotional responses to different images or scenarios.