Review and Developmental Model: Early Childhood Emotion Regulation and Co-Regulation in Autism.
Published May 9, 2026
A narrative review and proposed model of emotion regulation and co-regulation in autistic children under six.
This narrative review proposes a developmental model of emotion regulation and co-regulation in autistic children, primarily drawing on research involving young children.
The authors discuss how supportive parent-child co-regulation may be relevant to research and clinical thinking. This is not an intervention trial and does not prove that a particular strategy works, identify a single cause of dysregulation, or assign blame to caregivers.
Support for emotional regulation should be individualized and responsive to a child’s communication, sensory, and family context.
Source: Northrup JB, Nuske HJ, Hipwell AE, Mazefsky CA. “Review and Developmental Model: Early Childhood Emotion Regulation and Co-Regulation in Autism.” Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. 2026;65(4):527–538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2025.07.1063 (PMID: 40907886).
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