Kuypers, Leah, OT

Leah Kuypers earned a BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Graduate Certificate in Autism, and a MA in Education from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN.  She has practiced as an OT/autism specialist in school and clinical settings, specializing in self-regulation and social learning, and has worked with students of all ages and challenges, including anxiety, ADHD, and ASD. Leah created The Zones of Regulation®, a curriculum designed to teach self-regulation, and is author of the book by the same name (2011, Social Thinking Publishing). In addition to working with students, she provides trainings and consultation to parents and professionals, and offers workshops on the Zones to groups across the country and Canada.

She currently resides in Minneapolis, MN with her husband, son, daughter and dog. To have fun, Leah loves traveling, playing with her children, hiking, skiing and most anything outdoors.

The Zones of Regulation

This presentation provides teachers, therapists and parents with hands-on knowledge on the nature of self-regulation and strategies for improving self-regulation and emotional control in individuals of all ages. The presentation addresses topics such as: the brain’s involvement, typical development, sensory processing, emotional regulation, and executive functioning.

Audience participants will learn an explicit, stair-stepped method and tools to guide individuals in utilizing The Zones framework across situations and environments to regulate sensory needs, impulses, and emotional states to social demands. Visuals and student work samples are highlighted to illustrate numerous learning activities. A variety of tools (sensory supports, calming techniques, and thinking strategies) are explored to help individuals recognize their internal emotions, sensory needs, and thinking patterns in each zone, when shifting from one zone to another, and then to self-regulate within zones. Participants explore ideas on how to teach, when, why, and how to use tools effectively. The Zones of Regulation presentation also incorporates core concepts from Michelle Garcia Winner’s Social Thinking® framework to help teach individuals about perspective taking so they better understand how being in the different zones impacts the thoughts and feelings of other people around them.

About The Zones of Regulation

The Zones of Regulation is a framework and curriculum designed to foster skills in self-regulation, including emotional control, sensory regulation, and executive functions. It is a systematic, cognitive behavior approach that uses four colors to help students visually and verbally self-identify how they are functioning in the moment given their emotions and state of alertness. The model incorporates Social Thinking® concepts to help individuals use perspective taking, to identify how they are thinking and feeling, and understand how their thoughts and behavior impact those around them. Through using the curriculum individuals become more self-aware and learn tools they can use to regulate to a more expected state. The Zones of Regulation curriculum is published by Social Thinking Publishing. It can be used effectively in home, school, and clinical settings, as well as in conjunction with previously taught regulation strategies.