Emotional Development & Awareness

The Emotional Development Manual is a comprehensive guide designed to help families nurture emotional awareness, regulation, and resilience in children with disabilities or additional needs. Emotional skills don’t just “come naturally” for every child; many need targeted, consistent support to understand their feelings, express them safely, and respond to challenges appropriately. This manual breaks down the stages of emotional development, including influences, understanding and naming emotions, identifying body signals, and developing self-regulation strategies. It supports families in building these skills through everyday interactions, play, and routine-based opportunities. Included are visual tools like feelings charts, emotion thermometers, and calm-down choice boards to help children recognise and label their emotions. You’ll also find evidence-based strategies such as co-regulation, emotional modelling, and mindfulness activities adapted to suit different cognitive and communication levels. The manual addresses common challenges such as meltdowns, anxiety, emotional rigidity, and shutdowns. Practical advice is offered to help children move from external regulation (support from adults) to more independent self-regulation, keeping age groups in mind. Designed with NDIS capacity-building goals in mind, this resource supports emotional literacy, social skill development, and long-term wellbeing. It’s ideal for use at home, in therapy settings, or as part of school readiness programs. By helping your child better understand and manage their emotions, you’re building the foundation for stronger relationships, safer behaviours, and greater confidence in navigating the world around them.