Infants and young children react to their emotions with facial expressions or with actions like laughing, cuddling, or crying. They feel and show emotions, but they don’t yet have the ability to name the emotion or say why they feel that way. As we grow up, we become more aware at understanding emotions. We can identify what we feel and put it into words. With time and practice, we get better at knowing what we are feeling and why. This skill is called emotional awareness.

Emotional awareness helps us know what we need and want (or don’t want!). It helps us build better relationships. That’s because being aware of our emotions can help us talk about feelings more clearly, avoid or resolve conflicts better, and move past difficult feelings more easily.

Although individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often very good at analytical problem-solving they are stereotypically identified as having no emotions, however, this is not the case. They often express and experience their emotions differently. In fact, a very large proportion of individuals with ASD (about a half) suffer from symptoms of anxiety and depression that significantly compromise their quality of life. ASD and other identifications many not pick up emotional communication clues naturally.

They require help to learn:

✓   How to read facial expressions and show feelings.

✓   How to recognize their emotions.

✓   How to use strategies to keep from escalating.