The Connection Between Speech Therapy & Emotional Regulation

When a child struggles to express their thoughts or feelings, frustration can quickly follow. Tantrums, shutdowns, or anxiety often aren’t signs of “bad behavior”—they’re signals that communication and emotional regulation are out of sync.

Speech-language therapy can play a powerful role in helping children not only find their words but also understand, manage, and express emotions in healthy ways. Research has shown that language development and emotional regulation are deeply intertwined, with children who have stronger language skills showing better self-control and emotional understanding (Vallotton & Ayoub, 2011).

How Language and Emotions Work Together

Emotional regulation is the ability to identify feelings, control impulses, and respond appropriately to situations. Language gives children the tools to do all three. When kids can label emotions (“I’m mad,” “I feel sad,” “That scared me”), they gain the power to process and communicate rather than react impulsively.

Children with language delays may feel emotions intensely but lack the words to express them. This can lead to behaviors that are misunderstood as defiance, when in reality, they reflect communication frustration (Cole et al., 2010).

How Speech Therapy Supports Emotional Regulation

Speech therapy builds emotional awareness and communication through both structured and natural activities. Here’s how SLPs support this vital connection:

1. Building Emotional Vocabulary

Children learn to recognize and name their emotions, which helps them express themselves and reduces behavioral outbursts.

2. Social Stories and Role-Play

Therapists use storytelling and pretend play to help children navigate tricky social or emotional situations safely.

3. Co-Regulation and Modeling

SLPs model calm, empathetic responses during therapy, teaching children how to regulate emotions through connection and communication.

4. Perspective-Taking Exercises

Understanding how others feel strengthens both empathy and conversational skills.

5. Integrating Visual Supports

Emotion charts, cue cards, and visuals help children connect internal feelings with expressive words.

Research supports that strengthening language skills directly improves children’s emotional regulation, problem-solving, and peer relationships (Manning et al., 2019).

The Parent’s Role in Emotional Communication

Parents play a crucial role in connecting language to emotions at home. Try these techniques:

💬 Name emotions out loud: “You’re upset because your tower fell.”

🤝 Model calm self-talk: “I’m feeling frustrated, but I’ll take a deep breath.”

📖 Read books about feelings: Pause to ask how characters might feel or what they could do next.

🎨 Use art or play: Drawing and pretend play give kids safe ways to express complex emotions.

The more parents validate feelings and offer language for them, the easier it becomes for children to do the same.

Helping Kids Thrive

When communication and emotion align, everything changes. Children become more confident, flexible, and resilient—not because they stop feeling big emotions, but because they learn how to navigate them with understanding and words.

At tuLIPS Speech Therapy, we support the whole child—helping them grow not just in language, but in connection, self-expression, and emotional strength. 🌱

Works Cited:

• Cole, P. M., Armstrong, L. M., & Pemberton, C. K. (2010). The role of language in the development of emotion regulation. In S. D. Calkins & M. A. Bell (Eds.), Child Development at the Intersection of Emotion and Cognition (pp. 59–77). American Psychological Association.

• Manning, M. L., Walker, S. P., & Cummings, K. P. (2019). Language and self-regulation in early childhood. Early Child Development and Care, 189(6), 930–944.

• Vallotton, C. D., & Ayoub, C. C. (2011). Use your words: The role of language in the development of toddlers’ self-regulation. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 26(2), 169–181.

Discover how speech therapy helps children label, understand, and express emotions—building emotional regulation, self-control, and confidence.

speech therapy and emotions, emotional regulation for kids, language and emotional development, how SLPs support emotional skills, speech therapy for emotional regulation, labeling emotions in toddlers, child emotional intelligence, self-regulation skills, social emotional learning for kids, TuLIPS Speech Therapy, expressive language and emotions, feeling words for children, behavior and communication connection, early intervention emotional support, emotional vocabulary development, how language helps regulate emotions, SLP emotional regulation strategies, building confidence in kids, neurodiversity affirming therapy, inclusive child therapy, therapy for kids, parent support for emotional regulation, childhood emotional development, communication matters, social communication and emotions, speech therapy resources for parents, emotional expression skills, toddler emotional development, how speech therapy builds self-control, emotional literacy for children