Emotion Dysregulation is the inability to know how to innately manage the intensity and duration of negative emotions like fear, sadness, or anger. This is a particular challenge for those who have ASD and face a situation that brings about strong negative emotions.
Studies have shown that there are long term physical, emotional, and behavioral effects from repeatedly having prolonged negative emotions. Emotion dysregulation is not considered a core deficit in ASD; however, both parents and clinicians have long emphasized the important role it plays in their negative emotional responses to situations, according to a study by Stanford University. These negative responses take the form of irritability, poor anger control, temper tantrums, self-injurious behavior, aggression, and mood dysregulation. The study found that the severity of core features of ASD—including deficits in social and communication functioning, repetitive behaviors, and sensory abnormalities—is significantly related to emotional dysregulation.