“Self-regulation is the organized state of behavior that allows an individual to successfully adapt behavior to match environmental demands.” (Boekaerts, Pintrich, & Zeidner, 2000) When children present with difficulty regulating their behavior, often seen as frequent tantrums, meltdowns for no apparent reason, or exaggerated negative responses to change or disappointment, they may be experiencing an underlying challenge with processing and integration of sensory information from the environment, making it too challenging for them to cope and manage their behavior throughout the day.
OT can address challenges with self-regulation by providing individually tailored sensory integration focused therapy treatment.